My process for selecting/qualifying a movie to watch

In this special post, I share my imperfect process for selecting which movies to watch. These are not always the ones that make it onto the blog. Those are the top films from the ones I pick to see. That is determined on the merits of the films from its acting to its cinematography and all points in between. Films have to earn a spot on this blog.

The process:

It largely depends on how I discover the movie to begin with. That might adjust the process. With that in mind, these are the steps I take/sources I review and consider when evaluating a movie and deciding to watch or not. I may or may not do all of these steps and the order might vary too, but generally, I follow these steps in approximately this order. This does not take into consideration recommendations from friends. Use your own judgement to decide how much that weighs for you to decide if you want to watch it or not. 

1. IMDb page
   a. Summary
   b. Director
   c. Cast
   d. Writer(s)
   e. Genre
   f. Year
   g. Length
2. Wikipedia page
   a. Summary
   b. Critical Reception
   c. Cultural Significance
   d. Any interesting facts about the movie-making process (i.e. Clerks or El Mariachi)
3. Critical reviews
   a. Siskel and Ebert (depends on the age of the movie – could be an Ebert and Roeper review too)
   b. If no Siskel and Ebert available, I might turn to:
   i. Leonard Maltin
   ii. Variety
   iii. New York Times
4. Pauline Kael (depending on the age of the movie)
   iv. Washington Post
5. Tom Shales (depending on the age of the movie)
   v. Paul Scheer and Amy Nicholson (on their podcast UnSpooled or one of Amy’s separate reviews for a paper)
6. Trailer (some movies have multiple trailers, so if you are not satisfied after one, try another. Often they cut multiple versions for different markets or different release dates. One trailer might feature a scene that catches your eye that was not featured in a previous one. Beware: sometimes trailers are cut before a film is done with editing, so occasionally, you see a scene in a trailer that is not actually in the movie.
7. Icheckmovies – to see how many lists it is in
   a. If it is only in a few, are they ones I care a lot about?

All of these steps put together give me a crystal-clear image of whether or not I should like the movie or not. From there, it depends on how much time I have, my interest in that particular moment, and it even could depend on the time of day or weather (some movies are best watched at night or on a cloudy/rainy day)

Factors that weigh heaviest on me (usually, but not always)

• Cast (is it someone or multiple people I really like) – if it is an “All-Star” cast (all the top-billed stars and (sometimes) even a few of the lesser-billed character actors are people I like), that usually wins me over unless it got terrible reviews or I do not like the director or genre.
• Director I like but with a cast I am less familiar with (it can be fun to be introduced to a cast of unknowns when you know they are in the capable hands of a favorite director)
• Plot – does it even sound like something I will enjoy or does it sound too cliché or predictable?
• Number of icheckmovie lists it is in (how culturally significant is the movie?)
• Critical review + trailer (this does take into account actors and soundtrack too)
  • Beware, sometimes trailers can be deceiving. They can feature scenes not used in the movie and/or be cut in a way that mischaracterizes the movie. Do not base the decision fully on the trailer. i.e. Clay Pigeons was like that for me. I was expecting a comedy, but got a drama with some dark humor instead.

On occasion, I will watch a movie based on its filming location (if it is actually set there and not filmed somewhere and pretending to be somewhere else). It can be fun to travel to a place (especially one you have not been) without having to pack a bag or board a plane. Y Tu Mama Tambien (Mexico) and Copenhagen (Denmark) jump to mind.

I should also mention that above all, availability is key. I may find a movie I love to watch, but it is not available on streaming or at the library. In that case, I keep going until I find one that is available and write down the rest to look for later. If I really want to watch it and it is not on a streaming service I have or at the library, it usually is available to rent on Apple or Youtube. If it is an older movie that falls between the cracks between recency and cultural relevance or it is non-American film, try the Criterion Channel streaming service or Amazon Prime. NOTE: these streaming services have fees associated with them.

I am curious, what is your process for selecting movies to watch? What are some successes or failures you had with it?

Best Sellers (2021)

My IMDb Rating: 10

Average IMDb Rating: 6.2

Vitals

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Lina Roessler

Written by: Anthony Grieco

Starring

• Aubrey Plaza (Safety Not Guaranteed, Emily the Criminal)
• Michael Caine (Alfie, Get Carter)
• Scott Speedman (Underworld, The Strangers)
• Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, GLOW)
• Carey Elwes (The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights)

Synopsis

Lucy Stanbridge (Aubrey Plaza) inherited a once-successful publishing company from her father. Recently, a string of flops has left the company in dire financial trouble. A deal is nearly inked to sell the business to a larger company run by Jack Sinclair (Scott Speedman) that would not respect the reputation of Lucy’s business. During the 11^th hour, Lucy discovers a contract her father had written with one of the company’s most successful writers, Harris Shaw (Michael Caine). It concludes that Shaw owes the company one more book. While Shaw is still living, he hasn’t published anything in 50 years. Aware of Shaw’s reputation as a recluse, but desperate, Lucy visits Shaw and after a difficult confrontation, she gets him to agree to write and publish one more book and participate in a tour to support it. Lucy discovers Shaw has continued to write over the years, but has kept all the manuscripts for himself. He finds one he is most proud of and submits it for publication. Reluctant to do the tour, Shaw proves challenging to control and Lucy has to personally supervise him while they are on the road. Cary Elwes plays a literary critic who writes an unfavorable review of the book and follows the tour and reports on Shaw’s antics. His remarks and his reputation are one more obstacle Lucy has to overcome in order for Shaw’s book to perform well enough to save her business.

Ultimately, Lucy discovers Shaw’s late wife was instrumental in editing his book and he considers it more her book than his. Lucy forms an unlikely bond with him and the two find a workable relationship for the tour. When the tour concludes, Shaw dies and leaves his entire trove of finished manuscripts to Lucy to publish to keep her business afloat.  

Analysis

Plaza does remarkable work in this role. Her frustration with Shaw is amusing as is her relationship with her assistant.

Michael Caine delivers a rock-solid performance as usual. He had said this would likely be his final acting role before retiring. While he has played a variety of characters over his long career, he has adapted well to the string of old and wizened or cantankerous older characters in films such as The Prestige and the Dark Knight Trilogy.

Elwes, no stranger to mysterious or antagonizing characters, does well in this small, but important role. He really does sow doubt that Lucy and Shaw will succeed.

The story is touching, but not overly sentimental or sappy. At times, Shaw’s antics can get tiresome and irritating. However, Lucy is always there to save the scene and say what the audience is thinking.

It retains an indie-vibe, but does not feel stripped down or low budget (NOTE: I was not able to find data on its actual budget)

Personally, I think this is Plaza’s finest performance. Emily the Criminal is excellent, but it is an entirely different movie. For me, between the two, I prefer this one.

Fans of literary-focused stories will enjoy this. It gives an interesting insight into the publishing industry and the work that goes into being a writer beyond just writing a book.

Notes

This is the feature-length directorial debut of Lina Roessler.

Trailer

NOTE: My research and notes come from IMDb and Wikipedia

Locke (2013)

My IMDb Rating: 8

Average IMDb Rating: 7.1

Vitals

Runtime: 85 minutes

Written by: Steven Knight

Directed by: Steven Knight

Starring

• Tom Hardy (The Revenant, Inception)
• Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter, Empire of Light)
• Ruth Wilson (Luther, Saving Mr. Banks)
• Andrew Scott (Spectre, Sherlock)

Synopsis

Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is a construction supervisor and the night before a big job, he learns Bethan, a coworker he had a one-night stand with seven months prior, has gone into premature labor. While his wife and kids wait for his return home to watch a soccer match, Locke decides to travel to London instead to be with Bethan. His own upbringing in which his father abandoned him motivates him to be with Bethan so that her child will have a fatherly presence in its life.

On his drive to London, Locke fields various phone calls from his boss, a junior colleague, his wife, his sons, a staff member from the hospital where Bethan is, a city council head, a police authority, and Bethan herself.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that the junior employee, who is preparing the big cement pour tomorrow, keeps running into setbacks which could jeopardize the entire project. Locke also confesses his infidelity to his wife which strains his relationship with her to the point he is banned from their home.

By the end of the movie, Locke’s life has changed completely since his trip began. As he is about to reach the hospital, Bethan calls him to share with him the cooing of her baby, letting Locke know the birth was successful.

Analysis

The entire movie takes place inside Ivan Locke’s car. All the dialogue is him speaking to the other characters over his car phone.

This concept is similar to Profile where the entire movie was just a screen recording of a laptop and is also reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project where the entire movie is found footage.

I thought it was a brilliant concept. It might sound boring, but give it a chance. It works and it pays off.

This movie was intriguing because ever since I saw My Dinner with Andre in college and my perception of what a movie could be was changed, I have been drawn to unique concepts such as this. I find these unique settings fascinating. It’s a Seinfeld-esque idea where anything can be a movie.

If you think about it, an average movie is about two hours long. Every day, you fill 24 hours with activities. Slice off two hours from your day and that could be a movie. It might be a boring movie that no one would watch, but it could be a movie. Seinfeld did episodes where the entire story is locating a car in a parking garage or waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant.

Beyond the innovation though, the story still works. There is plenty of drama and excitement. The dialogue is good, which would be expected since the writer is being pushed to rest the entire success of the movie on his words. Without much other action, the movie relies on the dialogue to move things along.

Beyond the writing and directing, the cinematography and camera work were excellent. You really felt the emotions Locke was going through. To anyone who has been on a long car ride at night, you know feelings of loneliness can appear and linger. That feeling is apparent in this film, adding to the authenticity of the work. I was not able to find out if a Go-Pro was used or not, but I suspect it’s a possibility.

Notes

The entire film is a single take and Tom Hardy filmed the entire thing twice per night over six days.

Writer/Director Steven Knight has said the name Locke is in-part a nod to philosopher John Locke, whose enlightenment ideas partly inspired the American Declaration of Independence.

NOTE: My research and notes come from IMDb and Wikipedia

Trailer

2023 Top Movies List

2023 was a good year for movies. I did not watch as many as last year, but there was some solid entertainment. Below is the list of my favorite films I saw this year. I hope you are able to experience some of these in the new year.

Wildlife (2018)

My IMDb Rating: 9

Average IMDb Rating: 6.8

Vitals

Runtime: 105 minutes

Written by: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Richard Ford (based on the book)

Directed by: Paul Dano

Starring

• Ed Oxenbould (The Visit, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day)
• Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, End of Watch)
• Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman, She Said)
• Travis W Bruyer (Ted K, Bring on the Dancing Horses)

Synopsis

One day, golf pro Jerry Brinson (Jake Gyllenhaal) is fired from his job. He is later told it is a misunderstanding and he can come back, but he decides against it. Instead, this makes him realize his life was too safe and boring. He wants more, so he decides to volunteer as a firefighter to take on the wildfire that is currently blazing in the mountains nearby. The only problem with his decision is that he makes it without consulting his wife Jeanette (Carey Mulligan) or his teenage son Joe (Ed Oxenbould). Jerry knows he will only be gone a few weeks (assuming everything goes as planned). However, Jeannette is more skeptical and fears the worst. In addition, without Jerry’s income, she and Joe are forced to take on jobs to cover the expenses. Jeanette works as a swimming instructor at the YMCA and Joe begins an apprenticeship at the local portrait studio.

While Jerry is gone, Jeannette begins to revert back to a younger version of herself, one where she hadn’t yet met Jerry. She begins flirting around with men from her work, eventually beginning an affair with Forester (Travis W Bruyer), whom she had taught to swim. She tries to minimize it around Joe, but he is perceptive and sees the whole thing. He is old enough to understand what she is doing, but not why. He is left alone and confused. He desperately wants his dad to return and hopes that will return his family to normal.

Eventually, Jerry does return. He survived the fire and can now find a new job. However, Jeannette is not so excited for his return. She immediately announces she is moving out and getting her own apartment. Jerry questions Joe about it and learns of the affair. When Jerry loses control of himself and attempts to burn down Forester’s house, he realizes he has gone too far. Forester declines to press charges, but Jerry and Jeannette still have to address their relationship.

Ultimately, Jeannette moves away to Portland, Oregon where she gets a job as a schoolteacher. She continues to stay in touch with Jerry and Joe and visits them from time to time. 

In the closing scene of the film, during one of Jeanette’s visits home, Joe decides to use his newly learned photography skills to capture his family on film. He gathers his parents to the portrait studio and takes a professional photo of the three of them. Even though their lives are broken apart and nothing is certain, at least he will have a reminder of when his family was whole and happy.

Analysis

I went into this movie knowing nothing. I had never seen a trailer, read the book or even heard what it was about. I found it by searching through Carey Mulligan’s IMDb list and the title and synopsis piqued my interest. I expected it to be a good film, but wow, I was not expecting it to be as phenomenal as it was.

There were powerhouse performances by all three lead actors (Mulligan, Oxenbould, and Gyllenhaal). Gyllenhaal doesn’t get as much screen time as Mulligan or Oxenbould, but he still delivers a knockout performance.

The story took place in 1960 and everything about it felt 1960. It felt like it could have been made in 1960. The costumes, sets, and hair and makeup were all spot-on. Case in point, Jake Gyllenhaal looks a little like Don Draper. That is one benefit to a small cast and a small-town setting with minimal sets.

The dialogue felt genuine and the screenplay by Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan was phenomenal. The directing was excellent. For a directorial debut, I was impressed. Had I not known that, I would have thought he had at least a few movies under his belt already.

Cinematographer Diego Garcia does some astounding work with the locations. One scene that is used several times as an establishing shot shows the stunning mountains in the background with a training rolling by in the foreground. It’s a simple shot, but instantly sets the scene and builds a light, quiet mood.

Another cool shot comes at the end showing the exterior of the Brinson house with Joe on one side, in his room, and Jerry and Jeanette on the other in the kitchen. They had just finished talking about the future of the family and Joe decides to go to bed. The shot lingers on the house for a while until eventually, Joe turns his light out and the parents leave theirs on.

The obvious symbolism of the wildfire looming in the distance to Joe’s own family is an interesting effect. At one point, Jeanette drives Joe to the fire and we see his reaction before seeing the actual fire. A bit of foreshadowing for what it is to come later in the movie.

There is little music or soundtrack used. It predominantly relies on the natural sounds of the world. Another feature that greatly enhances the quality of the picture.

Interestingly, it felt like it was made in a different era – like the early 90s or early 70s. That’s interesting since it is based on a novel of the same name by Richard Ford which was first published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1990.

In some respects, especially in terms of the framing of each shot, the movie feels like an Edward Hopper painting come to life.

Notes

It’s part of the Criterion Collection – spine #1031

This is Paul Dano’s directorial debut

Carey Mulligan later starred with Zoe Kazan in She Said and she is currently (at the time of this writing) filming a movie called Spaceman with Paul Dano.

Paul Dano previously starred with Jake Gyllenhaal in Prisoners and Okja.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan previously co-starred in Brothers.

This movie is based on the book of the same name by Richard Ford. I have read the book and it maintains the same lowkey intensity as the movie. Great job to Dano and Kazan for adapting the screenplay.

NOTE: My research and notes come from IMDb and Wikipedia

Trailer

All is Lost (2013)

My IMDb Rating: 9

Average IMDb Rating: 6.9

Vitals

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: J.C. Chandor

Written by: J.C. Chandor

Starring

• Robert Redford (The Candidate, Three Days of the Condor)

Synopsis

Robert Redford stars as the main character in this one-man film, who is never given a name and is only referred to in the credits as “the man”.

The film follows the journey of the sailor across the Indian Ocean as he is forced to contend with a life-threatening situation after his boat strikes a wayward shipping container and a hole is ripped into its hull. After a series of actions to get things under control, he discovers he is heading into a tropical storm. After a series of near-death experiences, the boat sinks and he is forced aboard his life raft.

While on the raft, he survives another storm and another series of unfortunate events. On what he believes is his last day, he scraps together a message in a bottle and throws it out into the current. At night, he sees a boat light in the distance and uses his last remaining belongings to create a fire to grab its attention. The fire spirals out of control and sinks his raft. He allows himself to sink, but at the very end, he sees a search light and a hull near the surface. He swims up and grasps an outstretched hand.

Analysis

This film is a stunning visual performance. Offering only 51 words of dialogue, it is a feast for the eyes. It might come across as boring since it is only one character and minimal dialogue, but it is about his action and struggle for survival. In that way, it bears some resemblance to Cast Away.

I found this film suspenseful throughout since I had no expectations going in. I had not seen the trailer or read a review. It is certainly a tour-de-force for one actor to rely primarily on his acting skills alone for 103 minutes.If you like Robert Redford, sailing, the ocean, or survival movies, you will enjoy this one.

Notes

The film’s soundtrack is composed by Alex Ebert, frontman of the indie band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

At the time of this writing, the film maintains a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie was not well received by the sailing community who dubbed it unrealistic due to the boat’s lack of certain safety equipment that is considered standard on sailboats navigating open ocean.

Robert Redford was 77 when this movie came out.

The visuals of open ocean and of the storm were excellent works by cinematographer Frank G. DeMarco.

Trailer

NOTE: My research and notes come from IMDb and Wikipedia

Tick, Tick… Boom (2021)

My IMDb Rating: 9

Average IMDb Rating: 7.5

Vitals

Runtime: 120 minutes

Directed by: Lin Manuel Miranda

Written by: Steven Levenson, Jonathan Larson

Starring

• Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, The Amazing Spiderman 2)
• Alexandra Shipp (X Men: Apocalypse, Straight Outta Compton)
• Robin de Jesus (The Boys in the Band, Camp)
• Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical 3, Spring Breakers)
• Ben Levi Ross

Synopsis

Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) is a struggling writer closing in on his 30^th birthday with no meaningful works to his name. He still works as a waiter at the diner where he has worked for a while. Feeling stressed, he works hard on his passion project, Superbia, to the peril of his relationships with his friends (Robin de Jesus, Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, Ben Levi Ross, and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) and girlfriend (Alexandra Shipp). He manages to secure an opportunity to perform a workshop of his play in the hopes of catching the eye of a theatre owner who will help him turn it into a bigger production. Despite his best efforts, and praise from renowned composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (Bradley Whitford), his project does not catch on. As Sondheim tells him, Superbia showed he had talent as a writer. He just needs to work on something he knows more about, something more personal. Discouraged, he moves on to write a one-man play called Tick, Tick… Boom which loosely chronicled his previous struggles with Superbia. After that, Larson would go on to finish a project he had started earlier, called Rent. This play showed tremendous promise in the workshops and would go on to Broadway. However, just before its Broadway debut, Larson dies at the age of 35. The musical would go on to become a much beloved smash hit.

Analysis

When I first watched this movie, I had never seen Rent or heard of Jonathan Larson. I primarily knew Andrew Garfield from The Social Network and The Amazing Spiderman 2 and I loved Lin Manuel Miranda. I had heard both good and bad reviews from friends who had seen it, so I was curious to see what I thought of it. In short, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The songs were great and catchy, especially the opening number “30/90”. The choreography was also good, most notably for the song “No More”.

Andrew Garfield did an amazing job with his singing especially considering he had never done it before. I think Larson’s frustrations and motivations for publishing a successful work came across loud and clear. I felt the pacing was spot on for mirroring Larson’s emotions. The more distressed he became, the harder he worked and the faster the movie felt. I think this was intentional as the entire theme of the movie was about Larson believing his time was running out (in reality, it was). His struggles felt real as he was fact approaching a milestone birthday with very little to his name to point to. His friends found his motivations foreign which only added the pressure in his life. He had to manage his personal relationships with his career ambitions. This came even at the detriment to his romantic relationship with his girlfriend, Susan. He feels upset when his friend Michael does not seem to understand his determination.

His relationship with his childhood friend and former roommate Michael seemed very genuine. The actors came across as having a deep history just as the characters did. When they were younger, both dreamed of making it big in the theatre world. However, at some point, Michael decides to take a safer, more stable job in advertising. Jonathan, still determined to succeed, feels Michael sold out and gave up on their dream. This conflict is evident throughout the movie. At one point, Jonathan needs money to help fund his workshop. Michael tells him about a focus group he can participate in to earn a little money. Jonathan attends, but deliberately sabotages it which angers Michael. At this point, their relationship becomes strained over mounting tensions related to Jonathan’s work. Michael, who is gay, is upset by the fact Jonathan chooses to take his chances on an unstable theatre career when he could instead live a life with the one he loves without the fear of AIDS.

In addition to his approaching birthday, the backdrop of the AIDS crisis also serves as an additional pressure for Jonathan to produce a work quickly. He has already lost several friends to AIDS and during this movie, his co-worker Freddy (Ben Levi Ross) is hospitalized with the disease and Michael learns he is HIV-positive. At one particularly climatic scene, as Jonathan is relaying the pressure he feels to Michael, Michael reveals his diagnosis and replies that he knows a thing or two about running out of time. This incident has a profound impact on Jonathan and he finally begins to realize the cost he is paying to pursue his theatrical dreams.

After this movie, I was so inspired, I watched the film version of Rent. I did not like it as much as this film, but I did enjoy it. I think it helped to have this backstory about it to make it even more interesting.

Just as he did with Hamilton and In the Heights, Lin Manuel Miranda again delivers a quality production. If you are a fan of his work, Rent, or theatre productions in general, you will enjoy this movie.

Notes

Andrew Garfield did not have previous experience with singing, but director Lin Manuel Miranda wanted to cast him so bad that Garfield would spend a year learning to sing. 

Several members of the original Broadway cast of Rent make cameos in this movie. As do some of Jonathan Larson’s real-life friends.

Trailer

NOTE: My research and notes come from IMDb and Wikipedia

2023 Oscar Predictions

Best Picture – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Director – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Actress – Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Actor – Austin Butler, “Elvis”

Best Supporting Actor – Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Supporting Actress – Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Animated Feature Film – “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

Cinematography – “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Costume Design – “Elvis”

Documentary Feature Film – “Navalny”

Documentary Short Film – “The Elephant Whisperers”

Film Editing – “Top Gun: Maverick”

International Feature Film – “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Makeup and Hairstyling – “Elvis”

Original Score – “The Fabelmans”

Original Song – “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”

Production Design – “Babylon”

Animated Short Film – “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse”

Live Action Short Film – “An Irish Goodbye”

Sound – “Top Gun: Maverick”

Visual Effects – “Avatar: The Way of Water”

Adapted Screenplay – “Women Talking”

Original Screenplay – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

The Rewrite (2014)

The Rewrite (2014)

Recommendation: See

Vitals

Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: Marc Lawrence

Written by: Marc Lawrence

Starring

• Hugh Grant (Love Actually, Notting Hill)
• Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny, The Wrestler)
• J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Juno)
• Allison Janney (The West Wing, Mom)
• Chris Elliot (Groundhog Day, Saturday Night Live)
• Enid Graham (Mare of Eastwood, Mindhunter)
• Whit Baldwin (Ladder 49, Dance on Broadway)
• Vanessa Wasche (Mouse, Person of Interest)
• Steven Kaplan
• Bella Heathcote (The Neon Demon, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies)

Synopsis

Keith Michaels (Hugh Grant) is a struggling screenwriter living in Los Angeles. He is not having any luck selling his latest script, so he contacts his agent. She finds a job for him as a screenwriting professor at the University of Binghamton in New York. He is not pleased by the opportunity, but out of desperation, he decides to take it. He initially does not take to teaching very well. He draws ire from his fellow professors, who do not like his apathy, and from the students, who do not feel they are learning anything. Eventually, he runs into Holly Carpenter (Marisa Tomei), a student around his age working at the school bookstore whose screenplay was rejected for his class. He develops a friendship with her and admits her to his class. At the same time, he begins seeing Karen (Bella Heathcote), one of his students. Over time, he develops an interest for teaching, especially after noticing one of his students, Clem, (Steven Kaplan) has tremendous talent. However, after he breaks up with Karen, she exposes their relationship and Keith is told he will be fired. Facing the prospect of returning to his Hollywood life, he realizes he actually has a passion for teaching and decides to make amends with the faculty so he can stay. His agent calls and says she has an opportunity for him back in Hollywood, but he decides to turn it down so he can remain in New York to teach and write a screenplay about his experiences.

Analysis

On the surface, this would appear to just be another low budget Rom Com. However, even though I am not a Rom Com fan, I found this movie enjoyable. I did not have lofty expectations and watched it with an open mind. At the time I saw this, I had not seen Hugh Grant in many movies, so I had a nearly blank slate to begin with.

I found the plot unique and interesting. It could be considered trite in that it is the classic story of an unsuccessful Hollywood screenwriter/actor/director/etc. who has to find work doing something else and is a typical fish out of water. However, this film was unique enough that it worked.

J.K. Simmons plays his typical small bit role with some witty lines and gruff, authority figure demeanor. Chris Elliot is in classic form as the goofy colleague of Keith. Allison Janney had an excellent role as the reserved, hardscrabble English professor who is obsessed with Jane Austen. That part was a bit of a cliché, but she made it work with her own take on the role. She also plays well off Keith Michaels’ ineptness.

I will admit I was not overly taken by the character of Keith Michaels. He initially comes across as a sexist, philandering stereotypical Hollywood type who is only motivated by his own sexual pursuits. This is evidenced by his initial rudeness to Allison Janney’s character as well as his decision to predominantly pick attractive women as the qualifier for attending his class. While he does come to acknowledge this shortcoming and make improvements, he was so far gone to begin with that I could never really come to like him a lot.

Marisa Tomei was great as the motivating force for him to get his life together. Her role as a charming single mother not only helps Keith learn to care about teaching his students, but also inspires him to try to reconnect with his own estranged son.

The students in Keith Michael’s class are delightful to watch. They help bring an additional comedic element to the film that saves it from being a one-dimensional movie. The students were reminiscent of the students from the movie Hamlet 2.

This movie is good if you like Hugh Grant, Marisa Tomei, Rom Coms, or just want a light movie to enjoy on a weekend. As long as you do not expect too much from this film, I think you will find the hour and forty-seven minutes well spent. 

Notes

Portions of the film were actually filmed at the University of Binghamton, the alma mater of director Marc Lawrence.

The carousel featured in this movie can also be seen in Now You See Me and Face/Off.

Trailer

NOTE: My research and notes come from IMDb and Wikipedia

Selena (1997)

Recommendation: See

Vitals

Runtime: 127 minutes

Directed by: Gregory Nava
Written by: Gregory Nava

Starring

• Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers, Out of Sight)
• Edward James Olmos (Miami Vice, Stand and Deliver)
• Jon Seda (Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire)
• Jackie Guerra (Picking up the Pieces, First Time Out)

Synopsis

This movie follows the life of famed Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla (Jennifer Lopez) from her earliest days up until her untimely death.

In the early 1960s, Abraham Quintanilla (Edward James Olmos) leads a struggling Tejano band called “The Dinos”. After the band fails, he gets married and starts a family. He can’t give up music and decides to open a Mexican restaurant and feature his family as the house band. His daughter, Selena, who was selected as the singer, becomes a hit with the audience. She becomes so popular that after the restaurant closes, he decides to lead her in a music career. It becomes a family affair with Abraham serving as the manager, booker, and promoter and the rest of his children, Abraham III (A.B.) (bass guitar) (Jacob Vargas) and Suzette (drums)(Jackie Guerra) performing in the band. They travel the country as Selena performs, records, and gains popularity outside of her native Texas.

In the early 1990s, they hire a new guitarist, Chris Pérez (Jon Seda), who brings a heavy metal flavor to the band. Selena falls for him and they develop a relationship, despite Abraham’s dismay. She continues to tour, eventually eloping with Chris without her father’s knowledge. With her growing popularity, she creates a fan club and hires Yolanda Saldivar (Lupe Ontiveros) to manage it. It eventually comes to light that Yolanda is embezzling the money from the fans and not sending them any swag. Just as Selena confronts her, Yolanda fatally shoots Selena leading to her untimely death at age 23.

Analysis

I went into this movie with no knowledge about Selena nor having heard any of her music. I found the movie entertaining and the music was both catchy and enjoyable (particularly Bidi Bidi Bom Bom and Como La Flor). All of the characters came across as real and likeable. At times, Abraham can come across as controlling. Initially, his kids are not excited about starting a life of music. They were just kids and wanted to play outside with their friends. However, he made them stay inside and practice regularly. There is also a conflict where Suzette does not want to play the drums. She would rather sing and there is a lot of tension between her and Abraham.

Eventually, once Selena starts her career and the kids start to see the benefit of their practice, they begin to enjoy a life of music. However, Abraham still feels the need to control every aspect of Selena’s career including her song selections and wardrobe. He does not approve of some of the costumes she chooses to wear despite the fact they are modern. He still insists the band wear outdated clothes similar to what he wore when he was a musician in the ‘60s.

While he does eventually give in and let Selena and her siblings have their way, his obstinance creates a lot of tension between the family and creates some distance in their relationships. I imagine, to a degree, this was realistic, but I also have to assume Hollywood took some creative license and overdramatized it for the sake of the movie.  

Edward James Olmos delivered a solid performance as usual. No stranger to playing fatherly, authority figures, he uses humor (often self-deprecating) to take the edge off his authoritarian roles. Besides this movie, this is evident in Stand and Deliver, Talent for the Game, and Mi Familia. I have yet to see one of his performances I have not liked.

Jennifer Lopez does an outstanding job in the title role. Even though I had nothing to compare her performance to, I found her portrayal of Selena convincing. She was only 28 at the time and this was her first leading role. At this point in her career, she had primarily been dancing in music videos, providing backing vocals on tracks and performing in supporting roles. This movie came out two years before her debut album.

The pacing was good until the end, which felt rushed. The climatic, tragic ending is not shown on screen, but ample reactionary scenes provide context. I think doing it that way worked and there was no need show the murder. That would have given the film a darker overtone and taken the focus away from the celebration of Selena’s life and music.

The casting seemed good. I looked at photos of the real people after the movie and compared it to the actors and they were pretty convincing overall. The cast consisted primarily (outside of Olmos) of unknowns who had some tv work, but no major movie credits.

Since this movie was made so soon after her passing, they were able to reuse costumes she wore and locations she had actually visited and it appeared more realistic. The timing was in part because, according to Wikipedia, so many people were publishing unauthorized books and films about Selena that the family decided they needed to tell their story as soon as possible in order to control the narrative. It says that they began work on the screenplay not long after her death. That must have been difficult for them.

After watching this movie, I listened to all of Selena’s albums and became a fan. Even if you have never heard of Selena, as I hadn’t, I would recommend giving this movie a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised.

If you liked this movie, a series entitled “Selena: The Series” was released on Netflix in 2020. It goes more in depth in her story. Both this movie and the series were sanctioned by her father and he was also involved in the production of both. In the series, Selena is played by Christian Serratos.

Side-by-side of the real Selena (left) and Jennifer Lopez as Selena from the movie (right)

The real Selena and her band

Edward James Olmos and Jennifer Lopez as Abraham Quintanilla and Selena

Jennifer Lopez performing in the movie

Notes

In 2021, the film was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry.

In terms of cultural impact, Selena’s untimely passing was akin to the deaths of John Lennon and Elvis.

Over 20,000 girls auditioned for roles of Selena at different ages.

This film used approximately 64,000 fans/extras, especially in the case of the stadium scene.

Edward James Olmos previously worked with Gregory Nava in Mi Familia (1995)

Roger Ebert gave the movie a thumbs up, while Gene Siskel gave it a thumbs down (although he praised Lopez’s performance)

You can listen to her music here:

Trailer

NOTE: My research and notes come from IMDb and Wikipedia