Downsizing (2017)

There are a lot of actors who love to use their art as a way to express their personal beliefs and believe me this has been going on for quite some time. The film that I chose for today is one that I avoided only because of the general reaction of people that left the theater when it was done, but with the help of HULU, I have decided to check out 2017's Downsizing which was written and directed by Alexander Payne (Nebraska). We all know that sometimes in this life, it seems like we'll never get the leg up on others who seem to have it all in terms of wealth. Well, what if I told you that the amount of money you make in your current life would make you rich if you shrunk yourself to be only five inches tall. Would you do it? That is the question that Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) faces in this film when he realizes that he can live a more comfortable life being five inches tall, but is he really happy? The film also stars Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) as Dusan, Hong Chau (BoJack Horseman) as Ngoc Lan Tran, Kristen Wiig (Whip It) as Audrey, Rolf Lassgård (The Hunters) as Dr. Jorgen Asbjørnsen, Ingjerd Egeberg (Mammon) as Anne-Helene Asbjørnsen, Udo Kier (Blade) as Konrad, Jason Sudeikis (Booksmart) as Dave Johnson, and James Van Der Beek (Jay And Silent Bob Reboot) as Anesthesiologist.

I know a lot of people left the theaters saying that this was another excuse for Damon to get the word out about his care in the environment and I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. I mean isn't that what films are for? Are they not there to convey a message to thew audience to try and raise awareness on the impending doom that is already upon us because we never pay attention to the signs? I mean this isn't anything new and it shouldn't really come as a surprise. Nonetheless, I feel like the film conveys two messages and I like that they did that. They did it in the form of two people with Damon being the one who cares what happens to the planet and Christoph Waltz as the guy who says if the planet is ending then I am going to live it up because it's better than being isolated. Who does Damon ultimately choose in the end, well watch the film to find out. Waltz was absolutely amazing in the film, but the real star was Hong Chau who absolutely stole the show in my opinion. She provided the film with some much needed comedic relief as sort of Paul's love interest and when I say much needed I mean it. The film overall was decent and it had some great cinematography, but it's definitely not the best Matt Damon film that I viewed this year. Check it out on Hulu for yourselves, I am going to give it an B- for a final grade.

Booksmart (2019)

Trailers for films can be deceiving especially when it's a film that looks hilarious from what you see in the short two minutes and it contains a who's who of young Hollywood. It's always a 50/50 crapshoot when you enter that theater or you hit play on your app when it comes to a film and that is what I did with todays film as I took a chance on Booksmart which was actress Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy) directorial debut. Kaitlyn Dever (Last Man Standing) and Beanie Feldstein (Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising) play long time best friends and nerds Amy and Molly who have been so detached from the world of high school around them that they realize that they have not done anything truly daring and fun ever. They hear about a student who is throwing a party and their goal is to make it to the party to let it all out and not be so booksmart for a night. The film also stars Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses) as Principal Brown, Lisa Kudrow (Friends) as Charmaine, Will Forte (Nebraska) as Doug, Victoria Ruesga as Ryan, Skyler Gisondo (The Amazing Spider-Man) as Jared, Diana Silvers (Glass) as Hope, Molly Gordon (Good Boys) as Triple A, Billie Lourd (American Horror Story: 1984) as Gigi, Eduardo Franco (American Vandal) as Theo, Noah Galvin (Assassination Nation) as George, and Jessica Williams (Hot Tub Time Machine 2) as Ms. Fine.

Now as far as my opening statement is concerned, this actually was a really enjoyable film, but it wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be. There are a lot of great moments in the film, but those are spread out over the course of the film. I thought direction wise, Olivia did a really great job, but my issue was just that it didn't live up to past legendary young Hollywood films like American Pie, Can't Hardly Wait, or even Superbad. The weird thing is that I loved the story, I was invested in what was going on, but it just wasn't non stop funny which is OK because this was more of a coming of age story. Our main character Molly has always had this notion that hard work and no play equals success, but when she finds out that in reality that both can coincide with each other, it throws her world for a loop. For Amy, she has always just been the trusty mate that always goes with what her best friend says and she figures out that you have to crack a few eggs to get some respect. They both change at the end of the film for the better and they realize there is more to life than just being booksmart. There is this one character in the film that starts off just looking obnoxious, but he sort of redeems himself int he film and he becomes lovable and that was Skyler Gisondo's character Jared. He represents the kid who will do or say anything just to be loved and you can feel for him in this film. So, I am definitely going to be fair with my final judgement on this one because as I said, I liked the story, the cinematography, and there were some funny moments. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.