The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland into the Past: 2013

Welcome to The Wasteland into the Past! Join this journey backwards in time as I take a cinematic look at years past. Each article will focus on a singular year and my Top 5 films from that year. Turn back the clock with me…and let’s get started! 

2013

Prisoners

Can you think of another film that is darker and more harrowing than Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners? This is an oppressive and horrifically dark drama that centers around the abduction of a pair of young girls. This darkly atmospheric film orbits around their two families and the detective on the case. You have two incredibly intense and flawed men who are doing whatever it takes to find these two girls. You have Hugh Jackman’s Keller Dover who is a driven and reckless man who is overcome by rage and shuns reason as he abducts a disturbed young man (Paul Dano) who he believes is behind taking his daughter and her friend. Jackman has a rage inside his performance that is legitimately terrifying. Every scene (as the film progresses) you feel more on edge watching Jackman on screen. Hands down, this is his best performance as this flawed and complex man. There is a scene in a bathroom with a hammer that puts Wolverine’s berserker rage to shame. Then you have the driven and obsessive Detective Loki who is brought to life by cinematic chameleon Jake Gyllenhaal. You feel rage and passion in Loki as well and there is something dark in the approach that Gyllenhaal brings to his performance. These two characters are flawed and challenging as Villeneuve pushes the audience into an uncomfortable space. Villeneuve is not shy when challenging his audience and pushing them in Prisoners to slowly lose faith in their “heroes” of the story. Dano’s performance is chilling for sure and his presence in this film is haunting. The mystery has layers to it that are unexpected, fiery, and powerful. The deeply sinister motivations add layers as well. The supporting cast is filled with strong performers from Viola Davis to Maria Bello to Terrence Howard. Melissa Leo is certainly a haunting presence in the film as well. Roger Deakins photography is impeccable with every bit of framing and blocking to capture the emotion and intensity of the story. There is a shot of a tree early on that says so much about the scene without beating you over the head with it. Johann Johannsson’s score is haunting and will shake you to the core. This film is rich in darkness, themes, and pain. Few films are so start yet so involving and captivating.

The Wolf of Wall Street

How much could Martin Scorsese pack into the three-hour runtime of The Wolf of Wall Street? The life of Jordan Belfort was full of debauchery for sure (even so much that Scorsese had to avoid including some of it in this film). Just think about that…Belfort’s life was too much for even a Scorsese film (which is wild). This is a man who saw the possibilities of the financial district and how greed can provide so much in terms of money and luxury. Scorsese captures his hunger as he follows a path to grow and grow his finances while taking every drug imaginable and sleeping with endless women along the way. This rags to riches to downfall to “too powerful to really fall” story is a sobering exercise that Scorsese captured with such confidence and energy. A three-hour film like this is wild in its energy and pacing. The fact that a director that many decades into his career still has the daring and zeal to deliver such a towering display of debauchery and hedonism is quite impressive. There is plenty of style on display with a great blues soundtrack, sleek camera movements, and engrossing fourth wall breaking. This is not your average biopic. This is a masterful filmmaker with his skills on full display. But it is not just Scorsese on display (and his usual crew on the technical side) that gets to shine here. Leonardo DiCaprio is a towering force with his manic (drug fueled) energy and his conniving cheshire grin. There is a devious charm that Leo brings to this performance that is both infectious and despicable at the same time. This is the performance that probably should have won him his Oscar for Best Actor but alas his performance is a significant piece of what makes this film work so well. Jonah Hill’s performance as the despicable right hand of Belfort is downright hilarious yet so hard to watch because someone like this exists. The supporting cast is off the charts too, especially the seductive and confident performance of Margot Robbie. She was so young, but she held her own so well with DiCaprio. Rob Reiner is a hilarious editor who also brings some gravity to Jordan’s actions. Jon Bernthal leads the way as a charming rogue with the rest of Jordan’s deplorable crew. Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley, and so many more fill out this impressive ensemble. This film is uncomfortably hilarious as it puts us in places that we know should be shameful…but some of us deep down might enjoy it. The drugs, nudity, and foul language are the crazy dressing on top of a biting commentary on the economic elite of our society and just how big the divide has truly gotten.

Snowpiercer

What would happen if the Earth froze over? You would imagine that few people would survive such a monumental disruption to the natural equilibrium of our planet. There would have to be unprecedented achievements in technology to come up with a solution that would solidify the future of humanity. Then enters the man who would save humanity, Wilford. This is the story of Snowpiercer. This centers around the classist society aboard a perpetual train that circumvents the world every year and keeps those inside alive during this new ice age. Acclaimed filmmaker Bong Joon Ho brings so much to the table for this international and genre-bending cinematic experience. There is a lack of kid gloves in the way that Joon Ho captures such a violent and brutal story. There are plenty of layers to the societal commentary on display with how the class dynamics are structured on this train. The poor must live in filth in the tail of the train while the rich live their best lives with whole cars dedicated to clubbing and saunas. This “eat the rich” story is embodied in a bloody and violent uprising on the train. The action sequences are dynamic and realized through an impressive filmmaker by Joon Ho. There is a wild night vision sequence that is shocking, brutal, and thrilling to say the least. But the film does not just work on its action and science fiction elements. There are plenty of shocking moments from a storytelling perspective that highlight the lengths that humanity will go to survive. There is a haunting story time moment that will sit with you for a long time after this film ends. There is a strong sense of mystery and intensity that Joon Ho brings out in this film that will shake you to the core. There is an impressive cast as well with Chris Evans delivering his more complex and powerful performance to date. Jamie Bell is an aggressive young man who makes a great right hand to Evans’ Curtis and his backstory is quite harrowing. Tilda Swinton is doing some impressive character work as the despicable mouthpiece to the great Wilford (Ed Harris in a small but pivotal role). John Hurt brings stature and weight to his performance as the elder statesman to this revolution. Song Kang-Ho (the common thread through most of Joon Ho’s efforts) is an enjoyable wild card in this whole scenario. Octavia Spencer and Ko Ah-sung are the real hearts of the film as well. This is such a bold and inventive film that shows just how versatile Joon Ho is as an elite filmmaker.

The World’s End

How is Edgar Wright so damn good at what he does? His Cornetto Trilogy is the benchmark for all spoof films in modern cinema. Wright’s craftsmanship is so precise and confident that these spoof films soar in the genre that they are meant to be spoofing. First it was zombie horror then it was action mixed with folk horror. But The World’s End takes those horror trappings and sticks them in a science fiction, alien invasion narrative. Wright accomplished so much with this film that it is one of the best adaptations of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This tells the story of a washed-up man who longs for the glory days of his youth and tricks his four friends from high school to head back home. To do what? Go on a dozen stop bar crawl called The Golden Mile. This sounds like quite the setup for a wild comedy (which it is) but things get complicated when it is revealed that most of their hometown have been replaced by alien created “Blanks”. What a twist! And what a film this sci-fi comedy is. Wright has evolved a lot since Shaun of the Dead and one of the best parts of The World’s End is that it is the most mature of The Cornetto Trilogy. This film delves into rich themes regarding aging and processing your lot in life. We make mistakes and our lives can go in the wrong direction. For Gary King (Simon Pegg), this Golden Mile is all about reframing his life and bringing it so called “meaning”. But there is a deeply human element to this story that is ornate with sharp editing, impressive visual effects, ear catching needle drops, and tons of laughs. You can feel the emotion and the regret that these five men must process throughout the film. It is a lot of fun to see Pegg being the wild one, but his emotional beats are what makes his performance so impressive. But the rest of the crew bring the goods with Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, and Eddie Marsan all delivering memorable and affecting performances. Rosamund Pike, David Bradley, Pierce Brosnan, and Bill Nighy all added some good support pieces. The most memorable sequence of the film certainly is the brawl in the bathroom which changes the whole perspective on what this story really is about. The humor is so good with excellently written banter, visual gags through great editing, and physical comedy. This was the perfect final leg of a perfect trio of comedies that will go down as some of the best in modern cinema.

Her

Are you terrified by the idea of people falling in love with artificial intelligence? That is one of the most terrifying things in the world for me. The world around us is always changing and evolving and technology is the driving force for so much of that. Soon people will be really building connections with artificial beings as we as a species struggle to create meaningful dynamics with each other. This fruitful concept was bound to be crafted into a cinematic experience and Spike Jonze was the right filmmaker to tackle it with nuance and a steady hand. Her is a film that I hated the first time I saw it because of the premise alone. A college aged young man missed the point for sure. This is not a film about aspiring to this type of relationship. This is a film about the reality that is being built around us. Humanity has already begun exploring the presence of AI and how it can foundationally change our lives. There are plenty of lonely people who long for real human connections but struggle to find them. Theodore is certainly that type of person. Nervous and insecure, he explores life after the corrosion of his marriage. A divorced man now, he gets a new advanced operating system which he soon falls in love with. Joaquin Phoenix is the right type of actor. His general vibe of being socially anxious certainly benefits the authenticity of this character of Theodore. There is a tenderness and awkwardness that Phoenix brings to this character that helps build the empathy needed to connect with him and understand his plight. We feel for Theodore and can understand why he builds a connection with this IOS. Scarlett Johansson was the perfect choice for Samantha with her rich and emotive voice. There is a level of charm and seduction that Johansson injects into her voice which makes her even more alluring. Their chemistry is quite poignant, and it makes it even more tragic as their relationship evolves and goes in different directions. The rest of the supporting cast is talented as well with Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Chris Pratt, and Olivia Wilde. Jonze is a fascinating filmmaker who creates a semi-futuristic world that feels so textured and lived in but also has a sheen to it. The color is soft and stands out in a unique way that makes Her feel engrossed. Hoyte van Hoytema is a talented cinematographer who collaborates with Jonze well here to create a textured and warm atmosphere. Arcade Fire is just hipster and alternative enough to create a score that ties this tone and atmosphere together so well. Thought-provoking and compelling, Her is the kind of sci-fi that is intelligent and subtle in the ways the future is brought to life.