Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

We once again want to apologize because we are not doing Sunday At The Classics again this week, but we have something great for you all today. I am all about checking out film that have garnered some acclaim due to the fact that it's an original film in a world full of remakes and reboots. That is why I decided for today that we would check out the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri because it's originality is the factor that peaked my interest for it’s unique title and for the caliber of the cast contained within the film. Frances McDormand (Isle Of Dogs) plays Mildred, a mother who is not happy whatsoever with the local authorities for not solving her daughters murder case. So to get on their case and get them moving, she decides to take out ads on three billboards outside her town that will challenge the law to get off their behinds and solve case. The film also stars Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers) as Chief Willoughby, Sam Rockwell (Vice) as Dixon, Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class) as Red Wellby, Kerry Condon (Avengers: Age Of Ultron) as Pamela, Darrell Britt-Gibson (Toe To Toe) as Jerome, Abbie Cornish (Limitless) as Anne, Lucas Hedges (Honey Boy) as Robbie, Zeljko Ivanek (Live Free or Die Hard) as Cedric, Peter Dinklage (X-Men: Days of Future Past) as James, Brendan Sexton III (Empire Records) as Crop-Haired Guy, and the film was directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges).

This was an excellent film that just had so many emotions to it and just had so many talking points. First of all, the acting was absolutely superb from way too many people to list in this blog, but you already know that you get amazing performances from McDormand, Harrelson, Rockwell, and Dinklage to name a few. Frances McDormand had the uneasy task of balancing out a character who is tough and a bad ass, but she is also vulnerable because all she wants is for them to solve the case. Sam Rockwell does a terrific job playing your typical backwater cop from a small southern-esque town who doesn’t know any better until something (I can’t tell you what) shows him the way. The second thing that was amazing about the film was the writing because this story kicked ass. You think that it’s going the way you would want it to go until it throws you a curve ball that takes the story in a darker place. There were so many glimmers of hope in the film that were just taken to a completely different place that I was amazed that it worked. The third thing that I loved about the film were the dynamic of the characters and the overall themes because each one was so unique to the story in how it progressed into a moral of no matter how dark things get, sometimes the people you are going against can turn out to be the ones you need. That was the constant theme of the film was redemption because it’s a learning experience for sure. The last thing is the cinematography which was just masterful from shot to shot. This is definitely a film worth checking out if you are a fan of great stories, actors, etc. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

Honey Boy (2019)

One of the most polarizing and notorious actors to come from the Disney Channel has been none other than Shia LaBeouf (The Peanut Butter Falcon) who has proven that when he is on point in his acting that there is no one like him. He started out on Disney on the show Even Stevens before landing the dream role in Transformers which led to more fame. That in turn led to him having some trouble in his past that brings him to this very point in 2019 when Amazon released the biographical film Honey Boy which was written by LaBeouf and directed by Alma Har'el (Bombay Beach). The film follows child actor Otis Lort (Noah Jupe) as he tries to navigate through a stormy time in his childhood that leads to his ultimate destruction as an adult. This in turn leads him to have to face up to his past while he spends some time reflecting in rehab. The film also stars Lucas Hedges (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) as Adult Otis, LaBeouf as James Lort, Byron Bowers (Loiter Squad) as Percy,  Laura San Giacomo (Sex, Lies, and Videotape) as Dr. Moreno, FKA Twigs as Shy Girl, Natasha Lyonne (American Pie) as Mom, Maika Monroe (It Follows) as Sandra, Clifton Collins Jr. (One Eight Seven) as Tom, Martin Starr (Knocked Up) as Alec, and Graham Clarke (Lucifer) as TV Dad.

After watching the film, it's definitely easy to see all of the factors that went in to making Shia who he became. Shia did such an amazing job in the film, but if you think about it how much work did he have to do to get into the role of his father. The one thing that I can say is that mentally it must have been hard to do because it would bring back so many memories, but at the same time it has to be therapeutic to let it all go. Shia is an underrated actor in Hollywood and when he puts his mind to it, he does amazing things. My favorite film of his in 2019 was The Peanut Butter Falcon, but this one is definitely right up there. While I have to give Lucas Hedges credit for the role and the amazing job he did playing the rotten child star all grown up, but how do you go from being a brunette to a red head in adulthood? That part was a little bit confusing for me and what was the deal with the same chicken over the course of the film other than the fact it was a wild and un-tamable creature like himself. If you are a fan of Shia LaBeouf and you want to know a little of what he was dealing with as a kid then definitely give this film a watch. I loved the grittiness of the cinematography because it kind of had that documentary look to it while being melancholic in look as well. With that being said, I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.