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Y tu mamá también

11/26/2014

26 Comments

 

3.58
A-

"This movie captures the 17-18 year old male transition into something a little more adult." - Blair
"Cuaron creates a giant universe where butterflies are flapping their wings and creating tsunamis down the road, making it feel real and endless." - Jon
"I thought circle jerk, ookie cookie type stuff was just urban legend." - Riley
PictureJoe, B+ "I would not recommend this movie for everyone, as the awkwardness might be too much for some to handle."
Let me first say that I really enjoyed this movie. I know some of you really don't like the subtitles, but they really don't bother me. My only concern with foreign language films is whether or not, we as viewers, are losing context or meaning during translation.  At times during Y tu mama tambien I caught myself thinking that the dialogue between Tenoch, Julio, and Luisa to be over the top in its vulgarity. I'm not so sure if that was purposeful or just a project of loose translation. I'm leaning towards purposeful, as I don't see Alfonso Cuarón allowing such a clumsy translation to the English speaking audience.

Much of the build-up, trailers, or blurbs for the movie really focused on the film being a summer coming of age story for two teenage boys. That sort of theme absolutely screams awkward interactions that only teenage boys can bring. The penis jokes, awkward shower banter, and even a duel poolside jerking off race that included climax conversation didn't catch me of guard, because after all, these are teenage boys and teenage boys do, say, and talk about whatever their penis tells them to talk about. Other than the Zapata family business, Tenoch and Julio didn't strike me as remarkable in any way.

The thing that really caught me by surprise, and really I feel it's the film's most important theme, is how fucking rapey this shit is. Look, I know what you are going to say: "But the boys are of age, how can that be rape?" Look, I don't fucking know how old Tenoch and Julio are, but I know they act like a couple of god damn 14 year olds still trying figure out how and where it's appropriate to stick their dicks. They usually figure out the most inappropriate place and head there first. (See examples of each other's girlfriends, diving board jerk race, married twenty something family member, etc.)

My point is, these two idiots are barely in control of themselves and dear old scorned (by both her body and her husband) Luisa decides to take advantage of the situation. She slowly introduces sexual dialogue throughout the road trip, eventually building up to the point that discussing sexual partners and styles is casually exchanged between the three. From the perspective of an experienced adult, it's pretty clear the boys, despite their bravodocious demeanors, haven't the slightest clue of how to engage her on this level.

Of course this proves true as Luisa allows both boys to attempt their best Bald Bull Charge on her vag. Each boy was left apologizing and with Luisa more firmly in control than before.

Of course that control plays out to the devils threesome where the boys encourage each other's company more than ever. It's a scene that is shocking not for its content, but instead for how far Luisa has expanded her control over the best friends. I guess you could say there is a certain amount of foreshadowing throughout the film that might lead done to believe that this sexual encounter between Yenoch and Julio was inevitable. But I think the scenes people could bring up are merely just great examples of teenage boys being teenage boys. If I have a problem with the film it's that it didn't explore the boys emotions about anything that happened following the roadtrip. The narrator simply said the boys found new girlfriends and drifted apart. What the fuck? You build up this movie to a gayish (maybe gay, maybe rapey coercion) threesome and then you just dismiss it? I wanted more dialogue there.

Like I said, I really enjoyed the movie. Both Tenoch and Julio are well played and Cuarón shows he has a gift for getting in the mind of tortured male youth. (Prisoner of Azkaban anyone?) I'm worried that the rapiness is to subtle for audiences to recognize, but I don't think it detracts from how will the movie was made. I would not recommend this movie for everyone, as the awkwardness might be too much for some to handle. That said, I like it at a B+.


26 Comments

2014 Mediocrities

11/16/2014

0 Comments

 
Best Film

Apocalypse Now - Winner
Dear Zachary
Frances Ha
Taxi Driver
The Fisher King
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Best Director

Noah Baumbach, Frances Ha
Leos Carax, Holy Motors
Francis Ford Coppola, Apocalypse Now - Winner
Sergio Leone, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver
Best Actor

Robert de Niro, Taxi Driver - Winner
Denis Lavant, Holy Motors
Jack Lemmon, Glengarry Glen Ross
Paul Newman, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Eli Wallach, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Best Actress

Lake Bell, In a World... - Winner
Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
Miranda July, Me and You and Everyone We Know
Juno Temple, Killer Joe
Olivia Wilde, Drinking Buddies
Best Supporting Actor

Alec Baldwin, Glengarry Glen Ross
Marlon Brando, Apocalypse Now
Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now - Winner
Laurence Fishburne, Boyz N the Hood
Al Pacino, Glengarry Glen Ross
Best Supporting Actress

Vera Farmiga, Up In the Air
Jodie Foster, Taxi Driver
Anna Kendrick, Up In the Air
Julianne Moore, Don Jon - Winner
Mercedes Reuhl, The Fisher King
Best Writing

Apocalypse Now
Boyz N the Hood
Glengarry Glen Ross - Winner
Taxi Driver
Up In the Air
Worst Movie

John Dies At the End
Machete Kills
Only God Forgives - Winner
Sharknado
Tomb Raider
Best Scene

Willard Hunting Kurtz, Apocalypse Now
Zachary's Grandfather Raging, Dear Zachary
Blake's Fuck You Speech, Glengarry Glen Ross
Accordion Interlude, Holy Motors
Pre-Season Training Montage, Major League
Ecstasy of Gold, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Winner
Worst Female Performance

Amber Heard, Machete Kills
Miranda July, Me and You and Everyone We Know
Angelina Jolie, Tomb Raider - Winner
Tara Reid, Sharknado
Michelle Rodriguez, Machete Kills
Best Line

I love the smell of napalm in the morning. - Apocalypse Now
There they were in a pile.  A pile of little arms. - Apocalypse Now
What's my name?  Fuck you, that's my name. - Glengarry Glen Ross
K-Fried-C. - Killer Joe
Nice catch, Hayes.  Don't ever fucking do it again. - Major League
Didn't you, you son of a bitch? - Manhunter - Winner
You poop into my butthole, and I poop into your butthole...back and forth...forever - Me and You and Everyone We Know
Worst Male Performance

Daniel Craig, Tomb Raider
Ryan Gosling, Only God Forgives
Emile Hirsch, Killer Joe
William Peterson, Manhunter - Winner
Chase Williamson, John Dies At the End
Best Jefe

Phil Crone
Jon Kissel - Winner
Sean Riley
Bobby Schmidt
Shane Setnor
Worst Jefe

Bryan Hartman
Ashli Keller
Drew Landry
Bobby Schmidt
Joe Setnor - Winner
Best Review

Jon Kissel on Apocalypse Now
Jon Kissel on Cabin in the Woods
Jon Kissel on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Jon Kissel on Up In the Air - Winner
Bobby Schmidt on In a World...
Bobby Schmidt on Me and You and Everyone We Know
Shane Setnor on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Shane Setnor on Up In the Air
Most Valuable Rotten Tomatoes Game Player

Phil Crone
Jon Kissel
Sean Riley
Bobby Schmidt
Shane Setnor -Winner
0 Comments

Spaceballs

11/8/2014

5 Comments

 

2.67, B-

"This is Rick Moranis' second greatest role."
"In the end, I laughed.
"The Spaceball functionaries have funny helmets."

Mel Brooks is a comedic genius.  He knows exactly how to spoof a franchise and do so hilariously.  Star Wars is one of the greatest stories ever told but Brooks made Spaceballs into a comedic classic with memorable and quotable lines that fit any situation. 

The quality of the film is pretty good.  The chemistry of the star studded cast is great.  John Candy as Barf was classic John Candy.  His ability to have funny moments was never beyond him and it shined in his supporting role.

This is Rick Moranis' second greatest role - behind Ghostbusters - and he did not disappoint. He captured every scene that involved him and was funny.  The coffee statement and the line about the assholes should be in comedic history.

While the on-film chemistry was great, the thing I learned from watching documentaries on comedians is the importance of timing in the genre.  Jerry Lewis' Bellboy scene is legendary due to its impeccable timing. Moranis, Brooks, (Bill) Pullman, and Candy nail the timing when possible.  That is why Spaceballsis so funny to me.  It is a slapstick with amazing timing. The only one who rushed the timing sequence was George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz.  Maybe Sandurz was a pushy character and Wyner played it great but there were times when I felt Wyner was a step too quick with the line. His sequence with Moranis on the "You're looking at now" bit, however, was pretty great.

The story itself was pretty silly.  Ran out of fresh air?  That was just dumb but Brooks made it work because while it revolved around the actions of the characters, it was never at the forefront of the film. The comedy, which was spoofing Star Wars and the point of the film, was.

Another great thing about Brooks is his ability to include popular culture in his films.  Viewers see the late 1980s throughout Spaceballs.  A Winnebago? An actual lunchbox?  Spaceballs the cereal! The music and so many others are present in the film that I will not mention but the point is made.  Brooks' skill of inclusion is shown.

Now when it comes to comedies, not everyone enjoys the same kind.  As with Bobby's pick of In a World..., I had no idea it was a comedy until halfway into the film.  With Spaceballs, however, this is clearly a spoof and slapstick comedy.  Those are the kind I revel in. To me, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a top ten comedy of all time and with that in mind, Spaceballs gets high marks from me for its comedy.  Its story, however, is another thing.

Was Spaceballs a commercial success?  Well, it had an estimated budget of $22.7 million and grossed $38.1 million in the U.S. Making more than the budget is always a good thing but what do others think of it?  It holds a 7.1 rating on IMDb, which is pretty good, yet RT gives it a 54% but somehow 83% of its audience liked it. Interesting. 

All in all, the comedy was great.  Memorable and quotable lines with a cast that could do no wrong.  The story was disappointing but the comedy drowned it out.

Grade: B
5 Comments

In a world...

11/3/2014

0 Comments

 

3.00
B

"This movie is essentially a lob that Bell knocked out of the park."
"Dimitri Martin is a terrible actor."
"I was shocked that Dimitri Martin was so good."

In a World... where Bobby picks female lead films which are also written, directed and produced by said female... I think Lake Bell delivers a winner.

To start, I was really attracted to the premise. We get a look at a oft ignored piece of show business centered around a phrase that has been incredibly prominent. Don La Fontaine was a voice that everybody recognized, but likely couldn't put a name to. I thought the resurrection of his famed 'In a World...' line was a brilliant approach to the film. The film presents the voice-over business in a way that appealing and interesting to both movie buffs and general audiences, which is a big part of what makes it such a success for me.

In a World... revolves around Carol Solomon and her relationship to the voice acting world. She's a genuinely likable character... quirky, witty, intelligentWhen we first see her she's simply a voice coach, knowing she has the ability to play a bigger role in the business if it wasn't such an exclusive boys club. I like that Carol getting her first big voiceover gig wasn't made into a slow built climatic event, but just a subtle 'this happened' moment over the phone. It didn't feel like it was forced upon the audience, but a natural show that women do have a voice here... which is clearly a major theme in the movie.

Carol's relationship with her father is essentially the personified version of her relationship to the industry. She's always kept at arms length, and hardly has any support. Of course, there's more to her family dealings that that, but it does come back around when we see Sam dedicate his award to his daughters. It doesn't feel sincere to me, he's just using them as a tool, just as the industry (represented by Geena Davis) used Carol's female voice for the quadrilogy.

The supporting characters are also well defined and each gives us distinct and fleshed out personalities. Their involvment makes the story feel like more than just a daughter's battle to get out of her father's shadow and limitations.

Bell was great in the lead role. She delivers the personality in detail and has fantastic timing. She provided plenty of comedic moments and, I thought, managed extremely well with her Fred Melamed stood out as Sam Sotto, delivering his lines with the perfect tone and temperment. And look a flip phone like Jon's! Ken Marino does well in a familiar type of role (Wet Hot American Summer, East Bound and Down), but adds something extra with his voice as well. Demitri Martin and Rob Corddry fit in well their normal awkward roles.  Nick Swanson's mustache fell of, but Nick Offerman is always solid. The cast did a suberb job overall, and showed a great deal of chemistry.

I think that chemistry added to an already good dialogue. Conversations felt natural and, more importantly, realistic. The inclusion of some quick wit ('If a beanie baby could talk..') and repeat jokes ('excited or farting') were subtle and well done. They reminded me of the kind of wit we experience in real life... it's there, but not over the top like in something such as Juno.

I'm guessing any major issues with this movie will come with the side stories. Sure, we can do without the romance between Carol and Louis, but it allows her personality to be on full display (away from work) and also Louis comes in as strong support for the female voice... even if in a sort of cliche way from his speech. We don't really care abotu Jamie, but this also fleshes out Sam world. And most of all, Moe and Dani. On its own it can seem completely out of place and a secondary plot altogether. But I think both characters, as well as their relationship, play a very important role in Carol's life and support system. They also round out the entire family plot with Carol, Dani and their father. It's still a slight distraction because it seems so distant from the main focus at times, but isn't a huge negative for me.

Technically, I think Bell did a great job directing. I didn't feel like any shots were off or misplaced. The cuts felt right, with no clunkiness. I mentioned the dialogue, but i really think that was a strong point of her script that deserves attention. I think it's an incredibly strong work, not just for a debut, but in a general light.

I found myself laughing, sometimes audibly others just a light chuckle... which scored major points for the film. We've discussed comedy enough to know how that works if a viewer isn't feeling it's humor. More on point though, I was feeling Bell's message. Extending the female voice in such a well done and intelligent way works well here. While she apparently felt the need to drive it home in the last seen while she's coaching the women, I don't think it was over the top or to strong.. but meshed well with Carol's journey throughout the movie.

I feel like could go on to more, but I need to wrap this up for now. I can see this getting a pretty wide array of grades, and feel I may be higher than most (if not all) here. I initially graded this as an A when I saw it a few months back, and feel comfortable sticking to that. I truly enjoyed this movie.... from the acting, to the humor, to the dialogue, to the plot and overall introduction to the voice over business. From the initial voice mail from Louis and Carol's play on it, to the final moment of female empowerment, I was in. It wasn't perfect or a masterpiece, but it's a damn fine film, and one of my favorites that I've watched this year. Grade: A
0 Comments

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