Marriage Story

     Marriage Story is directed by Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha) and stars Adam Driver (The Force Awakens) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow). It tells the story of an actor and stage director's messy divorce taking place between New York and Los Angeles.
     Noah Baumbach is a director whose work I had seen very little of until about a month ago, when I decided to marathon through his entire filmography (see a quick top five below). What I discovered was a lot of family drama, cynicism, and darkly comedic material. His movies taking place in New York work much better than those set in other cities. The performances he can get out of actors are powerful and feel deeply personal. Baumbach's films often feel like you are getting to watch him work through therapy, a trait that makes his movies authentic, messy and real.

Quick Top Five (pre Marriage Story viewing):

1. Mistress America

2. The Meyerowitz Stories

3. Kicking and Screaming

4. While We're Young

5. The Squid and the Whale

     The hype for Marriage Story was real. It won numerous awards from a variety of film festivals and is tracking to be nominated for quite a few awards for the upcoming months. And I would say it lives up to the hype.
     The highlight of the movie is the performances of its two stars, Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Both are able to portray hurt and pain incredibly effectively, enough to make you empathize with them. You can feel Driver being stretched to his breaking point, as he feels everything he loves could be taken away in an instant. He is willing to do whatever it takes to stop that from happening. Johansson struggles with hurting those she cares so deeply for. Many scenes feel awkward to watch, not because they are poorly done but because it feels like you are a fly on the wall to something you should not be watching.
     Each of the three lawyers also bring something unique and special to their roles. Laura Dern (Jurassic Park) represented Johansson's character and perfectly embodies a stereotypical Californian all the way down to the fake tan. She plays nice in such a slimy way that it will make your skin crawl.
     As Driver tries to decide between two different lawyers, you get to see two different sides of what it means to help your client. Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) plays the rich, scummy lawyer who takes no prisoners. Alan Alda (The Aviator) plays perhaps the sweetest lawyer ever put to screen. He just wants to make sure everyone ends up happy.
     My only criticism of the movie is that I wish we got to see more from Johansson's perspective. Because the story is semi-autobiographical, it makes sense you feel Driver as more heroic and Johansson as slightly more villainous. But I think it would have made for a more interesting movie if it had been more nuanced between the two POVs.
     Marriage Story feels like Baumbach's most personal film to date. The performances he can get from every actor on screen are incredibly and likely to win some awards very soon. And the best part about all this: You can stream it on Netflix right now.

When should you watch it?
Opening Night

Top 100 of the Decade: 91-100

The 2010s have produced some great films, excellent actors, and exciting directors. As the decade comes to a close, I find it fitting to take a look back at the best movies that have come out in the past 10 years. The best part about lists such as this is it provides a baseline for you to start thinking about how your list would differ and might just inspire you to check some of the movies out that I mention you may have never seen.

Today's post will focus on films ranked 91 to 100.

100. Les Miserables

A beautiful musical featuring stellar performances and singing that takes place within the scenes themselves, not later added in post.

99. The Meyerowitz Stories

If you think Adam Sandler can't act, then I challenge you to check out this movie.

98. The Gift

A twisty and creepy little thriller that will shock you.

97. Logan Lucky

Self proclaimed as "Ocean's 7/11" this heist movie features an oddball cast of characters that leave you wondering how they were ever able to pull it off in the first place.

96. Manchester by the Sea

A movie I do not know if I will ever watch again, it is incredibly haunting and sorrowful with Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams both firing on all cylinders.

95. The Shape of Water

An Oscar award winning creature feature that is equally romantic and strange.

94. Anomalisa

Asks a lot of questions about life through the use of stop-motion puppetry.

93. Fruitvale Station

Ryan Coogler's small budget introduction to the world stage that humanizes a real life tragedy.

92. Knives Out
Great ensemble for a murder mystery that remains credible and believable.

91. American Sniper

Interesting to see how war can affect the men caught up in it. Even the best soldiers have scars that will last throughout their entire life.

Check back soon to see the ranking continued!

Favorite Superhero Movies of the Decade

As this decade comes to a close, I am going to take a look back at some of the best films in a variety of categories. From Best Picture winners to horror movies and everything in between, I hope to provide you some insight into some gems you may have missed and maybe you can take a look back on the decade and decide which films you like, loved, or maybe do not ever want to see again.

Superhero movies dominated the box office, as it took over pop culture in general. It's hard to believe the MCU started in 2008. While the MCU has dominated headlines, other franchises and studios have stepped up as well to create some films with perhaps even more quality. The beginning of the decade saw a lot of superheroes with optimism and cheer, and as we have ended we have begun to see more of a referendum on the genre as a whole. Is the genre close to coming to a close, or will it dominate the next decade? I'm not here to answer that question, only to talk about the greatness we saw this previous one.

Deadpool 2
Whereas the first Deadpool was a fun introduction to the characters, Deadpool 2 is able to have more fun and bigger set pieces than its predecessor could.

Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse
Incredibly innovative, Spider-verse feels like a comic book put to the screen. It features things that a live action movie never could. It is also incredibly beautiful to look at.

Avengers: End Game
The end of an era, End Game lived up to the hype and then some. It provided fitting conclusions for the franchises biggest heroes and included great payoff to the over decade long build up. I do not know how they could have done it any better.

The Dark Knight Rises
Following up the best movie of all time is tough, but TDKR is a very fitting sequel. The Joker sought to mentally break Batman, but Bane did it physically. Again, the set pieces are awe inspiring and are even cooler when you realize much of the movie was done practically.

Logan
Perhaps the least comic booky of all the choices, Logan is all about the end of one hero. This movie strips its titular hero to nothing and is able to tell a poignant story about growing old and the legacy we leave behind.

Split
A surprising sequel to the sleeper hit of Unbreakable, Split features a great multi-personality performance from James McAvoy and created a near iconic character based on no source material.

Captain America: Winter Soldier
A spy thriller under the guise of superhero movie, MCU films are almost always better when they are acting as something other than a straight comic book movie. Throw in a couple of good twists and you have a great movie.

Kick-Ass
A send up of superhero movies that pushes the genre to its limit. Gory and profane, it surely is not for everyone. But if it sounds like something you would be into, then I would highly recommend.

X-Men: First Class
A complete reinvention of the X-Men franchise that blends history with the younger versions of the classic characters. Each actor is perfectly cast as a younger version of the team members.

Interesting to see where superhero movies will be in a decade from now. Will they continue to dominate the box office and streaming services?  Or will it fade into the background like many other genres have before it?