Stand By Me (9/10): The father of all coming of age films

“It happens sometimes. Friends come in and out of our lives, like busboys in a restaurant.”

Stand By Me is Rob Reiner’s love letter to friendship and nostalgic memories. It’s ironic that Reiner’s film looks at the past with such high regards because we can do the same with his filmography. His best films were all  made in the 80’s (and we can squeeze Misery and A Few Good Men into that list as well although they came out in 1990 and 1992 respectively), and despite not having directed many great films over the past few decades we can still look back at his early films and appreciate his classics. Stand By Me reminds us all of our early childhood and the friendships we made. It doesn’t matter what decade we grew up in, we all cherish special memories of adventures we shared with our friends and how they helped shape us. That is what is so universal and appealing about Reiner’s film; even though we may never have grown up in a small town or had similar outdoor adventures it still recalls us back to a time where we were discovering new things about the world and standing up for our friends when they were in trouble or running with them when we got caught playing in our neighbor’s yards. Stand By Me focuses on these memories and it’s not just about the adventure in itself but the bond these friends shared together. It’s probably the go to movie when we are comparing or referencing other coming of age films, and in my opinion one of the best ever made considering how much I appreciate the genre. I’m sure the film itself was a life changing experience for many who grew up watching it and dreaming of having similar adventures with their friends.

Based on Stephen King’s short story, “The Body,” the screenplay for the film was adapted by Raynold Gideon and Bruce Evans. It takes place in 1959 and centers on four 12 year old friends from Castelrock, Oregon who overhear a conversation about the location of the body of a dead boy who had been missing for several days. The news about the disappearance of this boy had spread all over town, so these kids decide to embark on an adventure through the woods and bring back the missing body so they can be received as heroes. Since the journey would take more than a full day, they plan to tell their parents that they are staying at each other’s home. Gordie (Will Wheaton) had recently lost his older brother (played by John Cusack in the flashback scenes) a few months prior to this in a car accident so he knew his mourning parents wouldn’t even mind him being gone for a few days. His best friend, Chris (River Phoenix), came from a troublesome family and despite knowing he’d get into trouble if they’d discover his lie he didn’t think it would be any different if he stayed with his drunk father. Teddy (Corey Feldman) still has the scars from the abuse he suffered from his mentally unstable father, and currently lives with his mother. Vern (Jerry O’Connell), the clown of the group who isn’t taken very seriously is the one who came up with the idea of looking for the body, but he also is the first to back down when it comes to it. The four finally decide to go ahead with their plan and begin their adventure, which will eventually shape who they are. The story is narrated by the grown up version of Gordie (played by Richard Dreyfuss) somewhere around 1985.

The strong performances in this film are one of the reasons why it continues to work today. River Phoenix was such a natural and is so charismatic that he steals every scene he’s in. The chemistry he shares with Wheaton’s character is strong and it reminds us all of that best friend we had in our childhood. Corey Feldman must have had the best agent because he starred in some of the best films that were released in the 80’s (Gremlins, The Goonies, The Burbs, and The Lost Boys). Jerry O’Connell is probably the one that has undergone the greatest physical transformation, but he was perfect for the role of Vern and he reminded us of that friend who always seemed to be the butt of every joke. These four young actors carry the film and despite not having the most exciting of adventures, the way the story is told is what makes it such a fascinating one. There are small moments like the one where they gather around the camp fire to listen to Gordie’s story, or when they are crossing the pond and discover its full of leeches, that stand out. The film is told through Gordie’s recollection of these events and each scene feels like an authentic memory someone would have of such a life changing experience. The 50’s soundtrack also plays a key role in the film since it adds to the overall sense of nostalgia. Reiner’s film reminds me how much I actually have enjoyed Stephen King’s non-horror stories (this along with Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are my favorite film adaptations of his work). Since its 1986 release, all the coming of age films that have followed it seem to heavily borrow from it. Stand By Me is the measuring stick for films in this genre.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (8/10): A groundbreaking concept for 1977

“We didn't choose this place! We didn't choose these people! They were invited!”

There is no other director whose films I’ve given the highest rating to more than Steven Spielberg. Being born in the 80’s meant I experienced some of his best films at a very young age: The Indiana Jones trilogy, E.T., and Jurassic Park. I cherish each of these films and the experience of seeing them for the first time are engraved in my memory. I might have been too easily manipulated by his films at that age, but it’s impossible for me not to view most of them as masterpieces. I didn’t watch Jaws until I was much older and that film blew me away, so I was hoping for a similar experience with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which I had never got around seeing until now, but had read fantastic reviews. Fresh off the success of Jaws, many were expecting Spielberg’s next film about an alien encounter to be even more terrifying. But Spielberg had different plans and he wanted his film to stand out from all the previous B-movie alien invasion films. The concept was quite groundbreaking for the time considering his treatment of aliens here weren’t what audiences were expecting. The only other film that had taken a similar approach prior to this was The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

Spielberg’s film opens in a Mexican desert where a strange sighting has taken place. Several planes that had gone missing during the World War in the mid 40’s have mysteriously reappeared in the middle of the desert in excellent conditions. A French man named Claude Lacombe (Francois Truffaut) is interviewing the locals who discovered the planes with the help of an interpreter named David Laughlin (Bob Balaban). One of the locals is sunburned and shocked as he confesses that the Sun came out at night. The next scene takes place in Muncie, Indiana where a young boy named Barry (Cary Guffey) is mysteriously awakened in the middle of the night by his electric toys that all of a sudden are turned on. He walks out of the house following bright lights from the sky, while his mother, Jillian (Melinda Dillon) runs after him. The entire area is going through an inexplicable power outage. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) works for the power company and is sent to answer a service call. On his way he experiences a UFO sighting and while chasing the lights he nearly runs over Barry who was standing in the middle of the road. The small group of people that were gathered in the area became entranced by what they’d just experienced. Roy returns home to tell his wife Ronnie (Teri Garr) and children about what he saw, but they think he has lost his mind. Everyone that was exposed to the lights ended up sunburned, sharing similar visions of a strange mountain image, and humming a five tone melody. The film then follows closely Roy’s obsession and the effect that his supernatural encounter has on him and his family. 

By opening with these strange sightings, Spielberg leaves no room for doubt that these confrontations with UFO’s are real. The emotions that are evoked from these scenes have more to do with awe and wonder than they do with suspense or fear, which makes it stand out from most of his other films. Once again, John William’s score plays a key role in the movie and builds on that sense of amazement. Once Spielberg gets the actual encounters out of the way, he is allowed to focus the story on the family dynamics and that is where Dreyfuss’ performance takes center stage. His character behaves in a strange way and it’s hard to root for someone who is willing to leave his family behind to follow his visions (there is a wacky scene in which he attempts to build a model of the mountain in his living room with dirt and plants he has gathered from the yard), but somehow he still manages to be engaging. The child actor, Cary Guffey, is also very believable and in a way, we the audience, are in awe the same way as his character is. Melinda Dillon, who was nominated for her supporting performance, stands out here as well. The cast delivers, but it was Zsigmond’s cinematography which was outstanding and deserving of the film’s only Academy Award win. The build-up might have not been as interesting as the final thirty minute payoff in Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, but it more than makes up for it during those awesome final minutes. I imagine that if I’d seen this as a kid I would’ve loved it, but today it feels a bit outdated and underwhelming at times. I enjoyed this sci-fi movie, but it doesn’t rank close to my favorite Spielberg films. I fell for his more family friendly and emotionally manipulative E.T. which came out only five years after this.   

My Review: Very Good Girls (4/10)

"We got to get over this hump."

Very Good Girls was on my radar ever since I heard it was debuting in last year's Sundance Film Festival. The reason I was attracted towards this despite not knowing anything about the plot was the cast. It starred Elizabeth Olsen who I've been a fan of ever since Martha Marcy May Marlene and Dakota Fanning who I think hasn't matched that same potential she had as a child actress. The supporting cast included Demi Moore, Peter Sarsgaard, Clark Gregg, and Richard Dreyfuss so I was really looking forward to what they could do. This was also the feature film debut from director Naomi Foner who had written a couple of screenplays in the past, but is best known for being the mother of the talented actors, Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal. 

You would never guess this screenplay was written by a woman considering these young teenage girls have no personality and their entire lives seem to revolve around this guy they met at a beach. He is the only thing they talk about and both girls end up falling for him, which is pretty much the basic theme of this film as their friendship is tested by their personal feelings towards him. Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen play these young girls who want to lose their virginity before going to college. The guy they both fall for is played by Boyd Holbrook and I really wasn't a huge fan of his performance. I couldn't see why these girls would fall for him as he lacked personality and wasn't really charming either. Both Fanning and Olsen come from very different families. Olsen's parents are played by Richard Dreyfuss and Demi Moore who are very talkative and liberal, while Fanning's parents are played by Clark Gregg and Ellen Barkin and they are much more reserved. The parents don't get much screen time so they weren't really developed very well and all the information we gather from them is through the conversations the two girls have about how they view them (which is almost entirely negative). So that was a big let down for me because I was interested in what these actors could bring to the drama. There is nothing really that engages the audience since none of the characters have any personality whatsoever and not even the love triangle seems too appealing due to the lack of romantic chemistry. The film is only 90 minutes long but it seemed to drag forever and the score didn't help out either. I was hugely disappointed by Very Good Girls and I understand now why it took so long to reach a wider audience after the Festival. 

Unfortunately the talented cast is wasted in this film and not even my appreciation for Elizabeth Olsen engaged me. I didn't even like her character very much here and much less the rest of the cast. Olsen has to find better roles because her latest films haven't exploded her potential very well. I was amazed to see how little Demi Moore and Richard Dreyfuss were used in this film; there could have been a better movie somewhere if they were given more importance. The lack of personality from any character just makes this film even more boring and tedious. There have been so many good coming of age films over the past year that this film simply fails to reach the bar that was set so high by Kings of Summer, The Way Way Back, and The Spectacular Now.  This could have been an opportunity for two strong female leads but they simply didn't have much to work with.

My Review: Paranoia (3/10)

"Privacy. Absolute myth. There's no such thing."

The film starts off on the wrong foot and never manages to get on track. In the very opening scene you have Liam Hemsworth using voice over narration explaining to us what we are about to see, and you realize that you are going to watch a cliched unoriginal action thriller. Then there is a scene where Gary Oldman's character is looking at some art pieces with Liam and he mentions how Picasso once said that there are no original ideas, that everything is either copied or stolen. You kind of get a sense of a similar thing going on with this script. Paranoia is an action thriller that seems recycled with no fresh ideas and unfortunately lacks thrills. The script was adapted by Jason Dean Hall (Spread) and Barry Levy (Vantage Point) from Joseph Finder's novel, but nothing about it feels inspiring or original. It is a shame because I was excited to get to see Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman face off once again, but Paranoia easily belongs on my worst films of 2013 list mainly because these talented actors can't do anything to improve a weak script. Paranoia gets half a star for Amber Heard who looks stunning despite not adding anything to the story, and another star for Oldman and Ford's presence alone. I could forgive the uninspiring script if at least this technological thriller actually had some thrills, but it doesn't. There aren't any interesting thrills either and the narrative is pretty straight forward and predictable.

Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) has been working for an important technological company known as Wyatt Corporation for the past six years. He hasn't been able to ascend the corporate ladder the way he pictured it as he continues to be an entry level employee, but he and his team are expecting a break through when given the opportunity to present their next project to the boss, Nicolas Wyatt (Gary Oldman). The presentation doesn't go as planned and Adam is left unemployed along with the rest of his team. Feeling bad about the way things turned out, Adam invites them to a fancy club where they use the company's credit card. The next day Adam is called back to Wyatt's office as he is confronted for his crime. Taking advantage of Adam's hunger for wealth and power, Wyatt recruits him to spy on his nemesis: Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford). Goddard happens to run another billion dollar tech company which is his biggest competition. Wyatt wants Adam to win Jock's trust and discover what they are working on, and in return he promises him the life he has always dreamed of. Blinded by greed Adam accepts and soon will find himself way in over his head.

Richard Dreyfuss has a small role in this film as well and his presence only reminds us that a film focusing on him or the other secondary characters such as Oldman and Ford, would be so much better. Instead they allow Hemsworth to play the lead role and he simply doesn't have that on screen charisma to carry a film on his own. I don't think he's a bad actor, but he needs stronger material to keep the audience's interest. He is just outclassed in this film by the other talented actors and we are left out wanting to see more of them. Another issue I had with Paranoia is that the plot doesn't make much sense and it is so dull that it allows you to begin to think too much about it and find all sort of holes. Robert Luketic has just directed his third straight flop after the disappointing Killers and The Ugly Truth. I will defend him for 21, which was a film that at least kept me entertained, but his latest efforts have been really disappointing. Paranoia might just top them all; stay away from this film.

My Review: RED (5/10)

¨He got old. Then some thumb-sucker came along and tagged him RED: Retired, Extremely Dangerous.¨

Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler`s Wife, and Flightplan) had the privilege of directing a talented cast including Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Brian Cox, Karl Urban, and Richard Dreyfuss. A lot of big names for the latest adaptation of the DC Comic graphic novel written by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner. One would expect nothing could go wrong with a movie with such great star power, but I was disappointed with this lightly entertaining comedy slash action flick. Red suffers from a poorly adapted screenplay written by Jon and Erich Hoeber (the guys who brought us one of the worst films of 2009: Whiteout). The plot is really bad, and the actors do the best they can in order to save the film. There are some funny moments (but far too few) thanks to the talent from the entire cast that save the movie from falling into horrible territory. John Malkovich gives a very comedic and surprising performance, but unfortunately he doesn`t get enough screen time to save the movie. The rest of the cast give good performances, but they are far from memorable. The chemistry between Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) is pretty decent, although nothing we haven’t seen before. I really expected this movie would have a lot more funnier moments, but the screenplay failed to help out the great cast. Red could have been much better if the producers would have taken more time in finding better screenwriters. I just felt this movie was like an All-Star team without a good coach to help them win the championship. With a better plot, Red would have been a great and memorable movie.

Bruce Willis is Frank Moses, a former CIA agent who is now retired and having a difficult time making the transition. The only thing that seems to keep him going is when he gets to speak over the phone with his government pension representative, Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker). Her life doesn`t seem all that exciting either, and she spends her days working and reading sexy spy novels. Sarah and Frank spend a lot of time on the phone discussing their boring and lonely lives without having ever met, but they seem to enjoy each other. Their daily routines will change all of a sudden when someone puts a hit on Frank and tries killing him. Frank might be old, but he`s still got game. He manages to elude the dozen of assassins that are sent to his home and decides to give Sarah a visit in Kansas City guessing she might be in danger as well. Frank will need some help in order to discover who is after him so he decides to get his old CIA team back together: Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), Victoria (Helen Mirren), and Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman). They are all more than happy to get back in action since they all seem to have difficulties adapting to their retiree lives. Together they begin delving into the past in search for clues, while at the same time they have to face the young CIA agent who is after them: William Cooper (Karl Urban). Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Cox, and Julian McMahon also have smaller roles in the film.

I really wished this movie would have been funnier considering the talented cast. Malkovich is by far the funniest one in the film; I`ve seen Willis in better roles; Freeman doesn’t add anything to the story; Urban being one of the younger actors proved he has what it takes to stand next to these A-list actors; Louise-Parker was pretty funny in this movie, but she is way better in Weeds; and Helen Mirren always brings her A game to the table. I didn`t have a problem with the performances, but I just wished they would have done a better job with the plot and the screenplay. This is one of those movies that looks hilarious in the trailers, but then you discover it isn`t actually that funny when sitting through the 100 minute film. Red is not terrible. I actually had a decent time watching it, but it is just light entertainment I wouldn`t consider recommending it or watching it over again. The movie did give me a nostalgic feeling seeing how so many of these actors are actually close to their retirement, but they still have the talent if given the right script to work with. I am a huge Bruce Willis fan, but I have to admit John Malkovich stole each scene he was in. Richard Dreyfuss and Brian Cox both have small parts in this movie, but they are really funny in it as well. Seeing these brilliant actors working together is the highlight of the film, but they should have brought in some talented screenwriters as well.

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My Review: Jaws (10/10)

¨What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks, and that's all.¨

Jaws marked a before and after in American Cinema; it became the first true Blockbuster movie and it has since influenced films for 35 years. Before Jaws came out, there weren´t any summer movies (perhaps many critics regret this since summer movies aren`t necessarily recognized for its artistic value), but this movie set the standard for what a summer movie should look like. Jaws also launched the career of Steven Spielberg as a director since he was largely unknown by the general public. So you may ask yourself what made this film such a success. There are a great amount of factors that I consider helped turn Peter Benchley`s bestselling novel into such a terrific thriller. First of all John Williams`s score is breathtaking. The suspense he created with a few notes that accompanied the shark`s point of view with the camera where masterful. There was no need to see the terrible shark; the music alone built the fear in us. Sometimes we fear more what is unseen than what is actually seen, and in the case of the shark it was much scarier not knowing where it was going to come out from in the water. The shark tales and pictures we see of people who have been attacked by sharks throughout the beginning of the movie are sufficient enough. Spielberg has already inserted fear in our minds before we even have a chance to see the actual beast. This technique was one of the reasons the movie was so successful. Everyone remembers the speech about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis as one of the highlights of the film and that is because it worked just like a scary tale in the middle of a campfire in the woods works, because it takes the atmosphere and the context and plays with our imagination inserting fear into our minds.

Jaw takes place in a fictitious island resort named Amity Island. Summer is approaching and the town is getting ready to receive thousands of tourists coming to its beautiful beaches, but a local teenager has just appeared washed up in the shore attacked by some sort of animal, probably a shark. Local Police Chief, Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), is investigating the incident. According to the forensic report the cause of death was a shark attack. Brody thinks it is best to close down the beaches until the shark can be killed, but Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) stops him and says this will have a huge economical impact on the town. It is too soon to scare off the tourists and he gets the forensic doctor to change his report on the cause of death, so Brody reluctantly has to follow the Mayor`s orders. The next day another incident takes place, although this time it occurs in plain sight, and a local boy is killed by a shark. Brody closes the beach and the boy`s mother offers a reward to whoever catches the shark. Sam Quint (Robert Shaw) is the local shark hunter who knows they are dealing with a very big shark and tells the Mayor that if he wants the shark hunted then he will have to get paid a lot more than the reward the woman is offering. Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) is an Oceanographer who comes to the Island to help Chief Brody with the case. Together Hooper, Brody, and Quint set sail on the Orca to try to hunt the shark that has everyone panicking. They will soon find out that they are gonna need a bigger boat.

Jaws is considered by many as one of the greatest thrillers ever made. It is no surprise that after this movie came out very few people wanted to get into the water. The shark was in everyone`s nightmares. Jaws actually took home three Oscars, one for the musical score, another for the Sound effects, and a third for best editing under Verna Fields who took a lot of the credit for the success of the movie during that time. Spielberg was overlooked as a director, but he later proved in his other movies he was one of the reasons the film was so successful. He was a visionary in his field and was able to create one of the best thrillers without great visual effects. The secret was building the suspense through the unseen and showing the shark as little as possible. By the end of the film we were so immersed in it that we even believed the improbable ending and didn`t even feel cheated by that final climax scene. Spielberg combined suspense and thrills with comedy and action to perfection. Each character played an important part in the film and Brody, Hooper, and Quint became popular characters in movie history. This may have been one of Spielberg`s first films, but it still ranks among his best work because it managed to terrify audiences for ages to come.  

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