STEVE JOBS - Review

Steve Jobs

Biographical Drama, 2015
2 hours, 2 minutes

Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
Directed by Danny Boyle
Based on the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Rated R for "language"

Starring
Michael Fassbender
Kate Winslet
Jeff Daniels
Seth Rogen
Michael Stuhlbarg
Katherine Waterston

"Coach lands on the runway at the exact same time as first class."

You can put any actor in a movie and people will be skeptical. Michael Fassbender as one of the biggest tech giants in history? Could work. Seth Rogen as the real brains behind the computer? Um... Maybe? Throw in Kate Winslet and Jeff Daniels and you've got a stellar cast. What about a director... How about Danny Boyle? He's a bit of an odd-ball, but he's won some Oscars and we like him, right? Yeah, that works. But I'm still unsure. And THEN you find out the movie is being written by none other than Aaron Sorkin, and now you've got a fuckin' movie. And what a fuckin' movie it is.

Sorkin has taken a different approach to Jobs' story. The film takes place in three distinct time periods: 1984, 1988, and 1998. Everything happens in real time, and it all occurs backstage, mere moments before Jobs introduces the next big thing to the world. Jobs is faced with tech demo problems, past demons, and irate superiors, and his daughter, who is the real crux of the story. It is far from a straightforward biopic, but this picture is more of a character study than anything else. 

Everyone is already comparing Steve Jobs to Sorkin's The Social Network, considering they're both loosely based on prolific tech billionaires with massive egos. It's a reasonable question, but they are different beasts. The Social Network was focused mainly on Zukerberg's ego blinding him from building a company from the ground up and the roadblocks in the way. Steve Jobs, on the other hand, focuses on the man's demons and personal problems first. Yes, he is obsessed with his products, believing they are just as significant as the Allies winning World War II. Steve Jobs has a much different ending as well, which was almost perfect... But it lingered for just a minute or two too long for my taste, and it shapes how Jobs is ultimately perceived, which clashes with how the film portrays him throughout the two hours. 

I've mentioned Aaron Sorkin several times because he's the real mastermind behind the film. Danny Boyle did a stellar job taking on his script, just as good as Fincher did on The Social Network. Boyle's direction only stands out in a few key moments, utilizing some Dutch angles and tight editing. The rest is all for Sorkin, and his sharp and witty dialogue is as brilliant as it has always been. Characters have distinct voices, all managing to keep up with one another in the chaotic world Sorkin has created. 

Anyone can write a good script (in Sorkin's case, a truly great script), but it takes actors to bring it to life. Skeptics need no longer be skeptic: Fassbender completely delivers on virtually every level. He's ruthless, genius, and a jackass. Winslet, who plays Joanna Hoffman, his "work wife" and close confidant, is the only person who can penetrate her boss' cold exterior. Rogen is incredibly sympathetic as Steve Wozniak, an old friend of Steve's and original engineer and designer on the early Apple computers. He has maybe three scenes total, and watching Jobs shut him down repeatedly is heartbreaking. Rogen could actually get an Oscar nomination this year. 

Now, most people who want a biopic will be sorely disappointed. Considering it only takes place in three parts, much of the history is condensed into these moments. It's obvious that not all of this drama happened as is, and there is questions regarding the validity and intent of actions of certain characters. Was Jobs the jackass that he is portrayed as? Maybe. There was similar controversy regarding The Social Network. If you really can't get past the historical inaccuracies, you might not like the film. 

Steve Jobs, at its core, isn't even about the technology. It's the story of how Jobs failed to connect with his daughter, Lisa. She is well played by all three actresses and she helps Steve change throughout the film. She starts off as a cute little kid who doesn't know any better, but grows to resent her father for being, well, Steve Jobs, and even she must find some solace with her father. It's a touching story for the two of them, and it's a welcome surprise. 

Those looking for a definitive biopic of Steve Jobs may as well watch the Ashton Kutcher film from a couple years back. I've heard many audience members disliked it because of what they expected, which is a shame, because Steve Jobs is definitely one of my favorite movies this year. It's expertly crafted, tightly written, and impeccably performed. Just go into it knowing what you're paying for.

9.5/10

Fun Fact: One page in a screenplay is (roughly) the equivalent to one minute of screen time. The runtime for the film is 123 minutes, but the screenplay is... 177 pages. Pages and pages of dialogue... And it truly is brilliant. 

THE WALK - Review

The Walk

Biopic, 2015
2 hours, 3 minutes
Screenplay by Robert Zemeckis & Christopher Browne
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Based on the book To Reach the Clouds by Philipe Petit
Rated PG for "thematic elements involving perilous situations, and for some nudity, language, brief drug references and smoking"

Starring
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Charlotte Le Bon
Ben Kingsley
James Badge-Dale
Ben Schwartz
Steve Valentine

"The carrots are cooked!"

I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet.

The Walk is based on the story of Philippe Petit, a French wire-walker who dreams of one day performing on a wire strung between the Twin Towers in New York City. Doing this, however, is incredibly illegal. So he and a rag-tag team of misfits go and do a bunch of illegal stuff to make it happen.

That's the gist of the film. It's also the gist of the masterful documentary Man on Wire, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2008. It's almost impossible not to compare the two films. Even though The Walk gets most of the story beats right, including a few dramatized and probably fictional events, it has one key flaw: it's not inspiring.

When I saw Man on Wire, and every time since seeing it, inspiration strikes. It's the kind of movie that makes me want to go and do something with my life. I've thought to myself, if a man can walk between two towers on a wire over 400 feet above the ground, then I can do... well, I can do anything. The man accomplished his dream, and his dream was unbelievable in scope. It was an impossible dream. The story itself is inspiring, but Zemeckis turns Petit's story into a flat two hours.

The wire-walk itself (which is actually GREAT in 3D) is drawn out. The effect loses its appeal quickly, despite being a cool visual effect. There are moments with very little tension. Petit's narration (which is sometimes treated like an awkward talking head) interrupts the otherwise suspenseful moments.

Other than the somewhat dull wire-walk itself, the worst part of the movie (by far) is Petit's voiceover. They have him standing on the Statue of Liberty with the towers and the New York skyline behind him while he speaks charismatically to the audience. It's an okay way to start the film, but it quickly becomes a nuisance when they repeatedly cut back and forth from the action to his talking head. The talking head even interrupts during the most suspenseful moments, explaining every thought that crosses through his mind. This was something Man on Wire was able to get away with, because Petit tells the entire story verbally, and more is told than shown.

The real Philippe Petit on August 7th, 1974, before walking the wire.

Honestly, it's just boring. The storytelling in Man on Wire is actually suspenseful when narrated by Petit himself, and there's no more Hollywood flair or visual effects than there have to be.

It's not all bad. JGL's performance is strong, as he matches Petit's charisma with a decent French accent... But he fails to help the audience understand exactly why he needs to accomplish his dream and what it means to him. Ben Kingsley shows up for a bit, but doesn't do much other than have an untraceable accent.

To explain just exactly how I feel about this film, I want to quote a good friend of mine (he's a stellar filmmaker, too), Matthew Sadowski:

"So you're saying that if offered to see "The Walk", we should walk? Take a hike to "A Walk in the Woods" instead? Or go rent "Walk the Line"? Heck, maybe I'd get "Walking Tall" if I'm at the video store anyway. You don't want to spend too much time there; you just end up stumbling around like "The Walking Dead." Spend too much time there, the staff gets angry and calls security. Get pissy and they could take you on "A Walk Among the Tombstones." That would make it "A Walk to Remember."

The Walk: 5/10

Man on Wire: 10/10

Seriously. Watch the fucking documentary!

THE MARTIAN - Review

Hey everyone! It's now October, so you know what that means... AWARDS SEASON IS FINALLY UPON US! Well, it's been here for the last couple weeks or so, but with The Martian and a few other big movies coming out this week, it finally feels like we're getting in the swing of things. Since there are a lot of films coming out, there's going to be a lot more double feature reviews and maybe some that are missing. I wanted to write a review for Sicario, as it's easily one of my favorites this year. Absolutely worth seeing, it's a tremendous thriller and one of Benicio Del Toro's best roles. 

I've got a lot on my plate in the next few weeks, so I might condense some of my reviews and do more shorter ones than fewer long ones. We'll see how it works out. 

Anyway, I whipped this one up for you pretty quickly while I had some downtime. I know a lot of people are really into this movie, and I was too. 

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The Martian


Sci-fi, 2015
2 hours, 21 minutes
Screenplay by Drew Goddard
Directed by Ridley Scott
Based on the novel The Martian by Andy Weir
Rated PG-13 for "some strong images, injury images, and brief nudity"

Starring
Matt Damon
Jeff Daniels
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Jessica Chastain
Michael Peña
Benedict Wong
Kate Mara
Sean Bean
Sebastian Stan
Aksel Hennie
Kristen Wiig

"...Fuck..."

The past three years have brought us three high-concept, huge budget space movies. Gravity was the first, brought to us in 2013. Last year brought us Interstellar, and now, The Martian. All three films were critically acclaimed Oscar bait, using A-list stars and directors to create epic and intimate films about the dangers of outer space. However, Gravity disregarded actual gravity (and you can disregard my old review of that one), Interstellar was a pretentious and somewhat boring waste of time. The Martian, on the other hand, is a finely tuned story that succeeds on every level. 

The crew of the Ares III is on Mars. Their mission is compromised after 19 days by a dust storm. The entire crew manages to escape safely with the exception of Mark Watney (Matt Damon) who is swept away by a piece of debris and shrouded by the sandstorm. He awakes the next day and must "science the shit" out of what he has in order to survive and make contact with NASA to tell them he is alive and well. Back on Earth, NASA struggles to find a way to safely secure Watney's return. 

It's a fairly simple premise that provides tremendous conflict. Thankfully, screenwriter Drew Goddard managed to make it simple. The story has a huge amount of science involved, which is, to my knowledge, accurate. Better yet, the complexities are explained in the simplest ways possible. For example, Watney needs to grow food. He explains it in detail to his video logs, but it is complemented by tightly edited visuals that help the audience understand what he's doing. The complex science is made simple enough using tightly written dialogue which is never overly expositional because it is all relevant to Watney's survival. Everything, no matter how uninteresting, is do or die. The showing is much more effective than the telling. 

The Martian does a great job of balancing multiple storylines. Between Watney's trials on Mars, NASA's struggle to get him home, and the Ares III's desire to rescue their friend, the story is tightly written. Watney may disappear for a small chunk of time in the second act, but everything going on in every region of the story is riveting, and surprisingly, the lighthearted yet gripping tone is consistent. Watney, in particular, has a sense of humor about his situation. When he is down to meager rations of potatoes, he crushes up an Ambien and dips the potato in it, telling the video log, "I ran out of ketchup seven days ago." The humor remains consistent throughout, but it's not overbearing. Just enough to keep up spirits. The only issue of having so many stories is that there are moments, especially in the middle, when it drags. Just a hair. 

Like any Ridley Scott film, the visuals are spectacular. Instead of using CG landscapes, Scott opted to shoot in the deserts of Jordan, utilizing striking orange backdrops. For the most part, the sets, like the rover Watney drives, looks as real as it can be. But across the two hours and twenty minutes, everything is tightly edited and shot, and there's a lot of scientific ground to cover in this movie. The production design may not stand the test of time unlike Alien and Blade Runner, Scott's other sci-fi masterpieces, but it's a realistic and strong approach. 

The cast is enormous, but Matt Damon is definitely the star of the show. He's got a great sense of humor, but in his darkest moments, he brings the fear of certain demise with him. One moment in particular comes to mind, when Watney is counting his remaining rations after an accident destroys his crops. He uses a tarp and duct tape to create a seal so he can survive inside, and when the dust storm whips up, he is at the whim of, well, a tarp and some duct tape to hold. It's a powerful and subtle moment that keeps the audience white-knuckling their armrests. I mean, Matt Damon may be the protagonist, but let's be real: the real heroes of the film are tarps and duct tape. I'm not even kidding. Whenever those come out in any capacity, he goes from being a joking optimist to a serious scientist. 

Ridley Scott has certainly outdone himself. Two of his older sci-fi films, Alien and Blade Runner, have become cultural icons over time. Although The Martian is more science than fiction, it is an inspiring movie that will not be forgotten over time. 

Oh, and it has the single best use of "fuck" in a movie that I have ever seen. You'll know it when it happens. 

9.5/10