Last year I remarked that watching Foxcatcher was like having your spirit in a vice grip. I was unsure a movie could top the oppressive nature of that film, but then along came The Tribe, a beautifully rendered film, which proves to be just as corrosive to the soul. Unlike that previous film, this movie beckons you to join its sadistic pleasures, from its alluring long takes to the fact that there are no subtitles for the sign language. Try though you might, you can’t but help lean into the film, even as the sheer bleakness provides no recourse.
In terms of years of film that had an impact, 1995 is certainly near the bottom. Not that there weren’t cultural landmarks and interesting films but nothing quite sticks out as the OMG this movie! So how then do you quantify a year like this? Well if you look at the following list of awards, you can see that you have to try and glean nominations from everywhere and enjoy one of the craziest movie years.
With much of the news and discourse these past few weeks surrounding white people attempting to be black and do black things, On the Floor tackles what happens when white directors decide they want to tell black stories. We argue quite a bit about whether it works, who did it best, and where we are
Profound films come a dime a dozen for Pixar, a studio who has been so successful that when they make good movies it’s seen as taking a step back. But of the profound films and subjects they’ve touched on, Inside Out provides the studio with one of its most challenging attempts at trying to succeed. Thankfully I can report that the film more than earns its profound status and a place amongst Pixar’s beat.
This week’s On the Floor tackles one of the biggest issues currently facing the film industry, the star system. With Jurassic World making a gazillion dollars and everyone cementing Chris Pratt as a new star, we take a look at the history of the star system, how we do and should determine what a star is and where we go from here. We also take ample time to shade Will Smith for his career choices. Enjoy!
Making a film for a star is not a new Hollywood concept, its been done since we discovered what stars can do for film’s box office. Still there hasn’t quite been someone in the package of one Melissa McCarthy to build one around. Thank goodness for Spy then, the smart, wickedly pointed spoof of all spy films, that gives her an amazing movie to lead.