 Going back to 2011, this was a title that several people considered a snub at the 2012 Oscars. Although it received a nomination for Sound Editing, one of biggest surprising upsets was Ryan Gosling for Best Actor, being that so much of this movie was acted with his expressions and his emotions as opposed to dialogue. When he does speak, it's brief and to the point. And, I'll be honest, this was what solidified Gosling as a good actor to me for all of those same reasons. It was just impressive.
The movie in question has to do with a nameless stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who also works as a mechanic for a man named Shannon (Bryan Cranston) and does the odd "job" as a getaway driver in his spare time. He befriends his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her kid, Benicio (Kaden Leos), but things get complicated when her husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac) comes home from prison, owing large sums of prison protection money. Whether he's clean or not, the Driver decides to help him out however he can after finding out that Irene and Benicio may very well be in danger due to his stacking debt. This is one of those films that takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it seems to take right off. It has this dark film-noir feel to it, and there's not really a doubt in my mind that this was the role they probably looked at when they put Gosling in 'Blade Runner 2049'. Comparatively, there are similar atmospheres between 'Drive' and 'Blade Runner'. Not as in the movie as a whole, but as in the mood that's set. The film has a certain intensity to it that contrasts interestingly enough with a relatively odd soundtrack, consisting mostly of synth wave music that totally helps set the mood. It seemed they were really going for 80's LA here, although I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) that this takes place more or less present day, being that it's based on a 2005 novel of the same name. This is also a dark film. Yes, it's dark as in violent, creepy, etc, but also just physically dark. The majority of this movie has this sort of late night theme going. If I may compare the movie to something completely random, it's kind of like experiencing a jazz cafe late at night with stunt drivers on the TV screens, and a fight breaking out in the middle of it all. But hey, that's just me. This is one of those fun experience films that may have been largely inspired by former material, but remains it's own thing quite nicely. Opinion is usually split on this movie, I find, as a lot of it has to do with the emotions doing the acting as opposed to the dialogue. Some may accuse it of being very slow, and to some degree, it is. But if you can appreciate the subtle acting along with the overall setting, it should be a good time. I personally really enjoy it for what it is, and hope you do to!
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 This title is up for two reasons this week. The first being that 'Straight Outta Compton' put me in the mood to revisit it, and the second being that this also ties in with those Oscars, going back to the 1992 ceremony. Writer/director, John Singleton, was nominated for two Academy Awards that year, losing them to 'Thelma and Louise's screenplay, and the director of 'Silence of the Lambs'. It's completely arguable that those Oscars were well-deserved for such titles, but I think this movie got a fair share of snubbery all the same.
The story is basically about a kid named Tre (Desi Arnez Hines II, but eventually Cuba Gooding Jr.) who gets in trouble at school and, as a result, goes to live with his father, Furious (Lawrence Fishburne), in South Central L.A. There, his father teaches him about what it is to be a responsible man, especially growing up in such a bad neighborhood. Meanwhile, Tre hangs out with his best friends; two brothers who I always took as being there to play Tre's overall conscience. It's interesting to think about. Ricky (Morris Chestnut) is a successful student, applying to go to college to play football, and essentially plays the "light side" of things, inspiring Tre to succeed in life as well. However, Dough Boy (Ice Cube), is much more of a bad influence, being the bad seed, not afraid to start some shit, and just an all-around tough guy with a smart mouth. Essentially, he's playing the "dark side" of things, and there to show us the seemingly standard flow of things in the hood. If you remember 'Straight Outta Compton', there's a scene where Ice Cube says to Eazy E that he called 'Boyz n the Hood' an "after school special". In so many ways, it can be seen as just that, but an R-rated one that isn't afraid to show a few things in order to grasp your attention. Much like something like 'Detroit' was last year, at the time of this title's release, it was kind of a big eye-opener for people. It had impact enough that John Singleton, at the time he received his nominations, was both the youngest person and, more importantly, the first black man to be nominated for the Best Director award. So it was a good step in the right direction, but I also brought up snubbery, so let's get into that. Mostly, it's in the performances. Cuba Gooding Jr. does do a great job here in what I'd probably consider his break through role. He does a good job at tugging on the heartstrings when the time is right. But it doesn't stop at him. Lawrence Fishburne was a very likable character here, and he played the role of a concerned and relatable father very well. Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut are both great as well. I'm not too sure if I'd land on "Oscar-worthy", but they're both very convincing in their roles - especially Ice Cube, who was all too familiar with the hood, himself. Hell, he helped form a whole rap group around it! This isn't a recommendation for just anyone and everyone though. This is kind of just one of those titles I think doesn't get enough attention. Perhaps its a bit dated, but the issues expressed within this movie haven't completely gone away either, so in a roundabout way, there's a timelessness to it. Or, if you like, you can watch it as something historical, covering a time in the late 80s and early 90s. Either way, it's a solid title.  Let me take you back to the Oscars of 2016. This particular ceremony may as well be referred to as the "White Washed Academy Awards". That's not to say that diversity wasn't had at all, but looking back, it can be seen as kinda cringe-worthy. Especially considering the actors/actress category was no better the year before. But, focusing on the 2016 ceremony, one of the biggest all-around snubs of the year was easily 'Straight Outta Compton'. Sure, it got it's nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but many felt it lacked, at the very least, recognition for it's actors, and even direction from F. Gary Gray.
In case it's not obvious already, 'Straight Outta Compton' is essentially the story of the creation and breaking away of rap group N.W.A., consisting of Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy E (Jason Mitchell), Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr - aka, Ice Cube's real son), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), and DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr.) Every one of these guys brought their A-game to their performances, and none of them (namely the first three) were recognized for it from the Academy that year. It's the acting and their performances that really suck you into the movie more than anything, and the whole underlying race issue that the film portrays; the whole reason N.W.A. was formed, didn't do the academy any favors that year from protesting viewers. It got to the point where many considered the 2017 Oscars to almost be an apology, where the nominations spanned a much more diverse selection of actors and actresses. Anyway, this is turning into an article about Oscar white washing, and I'm here to recommend this movie as viewing material. Putting it all aside, it's just plain and simply a good, strong biopic story about one of the most influential rap groups of all time. One might not fully appreciate what these guys did for the industry until they see the end credits of this movie, showing clips of real rappers and other celebrities giving them thanks and praise for paving their way. Among them, huge names like the fairly obvious Eminem, and the perhaps not as obvious Tupac Shakur (who, himself, is often considered an "all-time greatest"). Perhaps what's most interesting to me about this movie is that it sort of resurrects the "Hood Movie", which was a sort of sub-genre of the late 80s and early 90s depicting the struggles of living in these bad neighborhoods with black on black crime on top of crooked cops who just feel like arresting you for being black on a Friday night. It kinda rams it home that those weren't just movies, but those situations were very real, and it serves as a bit of a reminder that there are still some problems to overcome. If nothing else, by the end of this, you'll have a whole new appreciation for these guys, and wanna blast some N.W.A. music afterward, or even do a bit of research on the group on your own 'cause it really is an interesting story all-around. It doesn't matter what colour you are, it doesn't matter if you like rap music or not, this movie remains one of the more inspiring movies of the last few years, proving that with a little skill and a lot of determination, you can get things done. |
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