CS Film Club II

Drugstore Cowboy

The last Gus Van Sant movie I watched (for this film club no less) was To Die For, a dark dramedy about a wannabe news anchor who will do anything, up to and including murder, for fame and celebrity. I've seen most of Van Sant's heavy hitters in his filmography, Finding Forrester, Elephant, that one movie with Ben Affleck and Minnie Driver. He's a director who has made some pretty engaging and thought provoking films but he's not really a director that I consciously seek out. Before now I had heard of Drugstore Cowboy in passing but movies about junkies aren't usually up my alley. But he's Gus Van Sant and I think the guy deserves some recognition.

Matt Dillon plays Bob, the 'leader' of a small gang of drug addicts who make their living and get their fix by burglarizing drug stores before moving onto other towns to do the same. At Bob's side are his wife Dianne, associate Rick and Rick's girlfriend Nadine. A police officer Gentry is always on their tail and looking to bring them down despite having a hint of sympathy for them. After a robbery that nets a solid take, Nadine overdoses and Bob sets to right himself while putting his life in order. As always with these stories though, walking the straight and narrow is not without its bumps in the road as Bob comes face to face with the consequences of his actions.

On a personal note, I'm not heavily experienced at all in the way of hard drugs nor do I run in circles with people who do them. I mention that because it's interesting how almost transactional and business-like Bob is when it comes to his 'job' which he takes quite seriously and how he treats his associates. His initial, immediate reaction to Nadine's death is almost nonchalant as his focus moves to what he's going to do next. I'm not sure if that's how high functioning addicts process events and go about life but it was interesting to note. As I was finally watching him establish himself with a job and apartment while making a break from his previous life, I expected him to tumble off and find himself back where he started. I'm glad the movie didn't take that way out as it would have been predictable and watching his character make a legitimate effort to right himself makes him that much more sympathetic when things catch up to him despite his best efforts. Reading more about it I understand that this made an effect in the late 80s indie scene and that's understandable, it's a unique take on an uncomfortable topic. It's not as inaccessible as I thought it would be though and while there are dark and disturbing parts of the movie it was definitely worth the viewing.

B+ so says Doomsday

I haven’t watched it yet but I’ve heard great things.

Am I the only one who like that one?

I wouldn't recommend Hacksaw Ridge, it's a movie that exists to play to a certain crowd rather than express a vision of a filmmaker. Supposedly Gibson is rolling on the followup to the Passion sometime in the next few weeks but he was also supposed to roll on Lethal Weapon 5 and his Wild Bunch remake so who knows what's coming first or if any of that is even coming at all.

It's at 47% on RT, that isn't too bad.  

In

In.

I watched Your Name. Definitely enjoyed it but I also kept thinking about this Bruce Wayne line from Batman Beyond

Your Name.

The anime film Your Name. takes the basic ingredients of the Freaky Friday-esque body swapping movie and uses them to tell a story of teen adolescence and young love. The set-up here involves teen girl Mitsuha, who lives in a small town in the countryside, and teen boy Taki, who lives in Tokyo. These two don't know each other, but they become acquainted when they start waking up in each other's bodies. This swap only lasts until the next sleep, but is reoccurring enough that the two need to develop a system of leaving notes in each other's phones with rules and advice. The first act of the film lays out the details of its high concept and has a lot fun playing with scenarios with the two, particularly as Taki makes Mitsuha more aggressive and defiant while Mitsuha starts flirting with the cute girl Taki works with. This was probably my favourite stretch of the film, the one which best succeeds as a portrait of adolescence (and even has some potentially trans coded subtext). Then there's a twist where things get much more serious and the movie changes gears a bit. That's not necessarily a weakness, a lot of the film's most vibrant and beautiful imagery comes in its second half, but this is also where Your Name. really dials into a very teenage melodrama.

To Makoto Shinkai's credit, the film does authentically capture the big, unguarded emotions which come with teen love, but it also requires you ride that adolescent wavelength. I mostly could, but the film did push up against my limitations and I ultimately found myself a bit removed from the emotions of the characters by the end. Part of this is a matter of scale, with the film's third act in particularly really stressing this massive sense of romance and struggle when it was actually Your Name.'s simpler, quieter beats which most resonated with me. This might just be a matter of taste, however. By and large, there's not too much to fault in Your Name. There's a very strong story at it's core, bolstered by some gorgeous animation, and while it's teenage vibes might not totally be for me, I do admire Shinkai committing fully to that tone.

B+


Btw, I had heard some inkling of "there's a twist" before seeing the movie, and at one point early on I said something like

Funny that.

Gonna sit one more out before considering a jump back in.

I think I still owe 2 reviews on films I haven't had time to see yet.