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Drowning in Potential (2021)
Very entertaining slice of life
Drowning in Potential is a 2021 film by Canadian-American filmmaker Joel Haver, starring his friend 'Dax Flame'. The film is about two actors whose names I cannot remember who are trying to make it in Hollywood. The film, like nearly everything by Joel, is slice of life and very down to earth.
Doubtless based on real experiences from Joel's life, Drowning in Potential can at times be dry and difficult to watch. However, its most entertaining moments can be very funny, heartfelt, and memorable. One of my favorite scenes is when they're with the acting coach who just gets physical with them. Jack's character lives in a white van which is a little comical, but as someone who has lived that way in the past it is relatable.
In CONCLUSION, this film is a wonderful work of art that captures how it feels to try to make it in LA. Even though I've never been to LA, this film made me feel like I was really there. Please check it out at your earliest convenience.
Whiplash (2014)
An intense film about music.
Whiplash is a drama film directed by Damien Chazelle. The only other movie by Chazelle that I can think of is the musical La La Land. Despite not being a musical, Whiplash has in common with La La Land a focus on music. The soundtrack for Whiplash is similar to another 2014 film, Birdman, a movie that I love. To hear the different instruments and jazz musicians playing in the film is a treat, and the ending of the movie, a jazzy remix of Caravan, by Duke Ellington, is stunning.
My only problem with the film is one of the main characters, Fletcher, played by J. K. Simmons. Fletcher plays a domineering, mean teacher who treats his class like a boot camp, in the vein of an army movie like Full Metal Jacket. The problem is this movie is not set in a boot camp, its a college. This character, to me at least, is incredibly unlikable and one-dimensional. And I'm not saying you can't have unlikable characters in a story. Its just his cartoonish rants and screaming fits feel out of place in all these stately college auditoriums. I'm sure there are real Fletchers in the world, they just don't make for compelling dramas.
In conclusion, I would only recommend Whiplash to people for the music and soundtrack, as well as the cinematography. It is good in those respects. All other aspects of the film, however, are overshadowed by the boot camp like instructor, even Miles Teller's character. If you want to watch someone hurl insults at a crowd, watch a professional like Don Rickles, and avoid this movie.
The Mask (2023)
A gritty short film
Connor O'Malley is a content creator I have been aware of for many years now, and when I saw this video on youtube one day, I didn't know what to expect. It was only after I watched it that I heard that the film was originally paywalled on his website, and I can see why. There was so much effort poured into this film, and Connor really took a big gamble when he went from his silly shitposts to this dramatic piece.
The Mask follows Tyler Joseph in a typical story of a small town kid with aspirations in the entertainment industry. He's also a fan of Who's Line Is It Anyway?, and records everything he does and posts it online. We are meant to sympathize with Tyler when we are shown his relationship with his grandmother, who passes away early in the film. The first six or seven minutes of this film do not interest me so much as the latter half, when Tyler arrives in Hollywood.
Where The Mask really shines through is in the little moments: The people who ignore Tyler when he's trying to improvise on the streets, the acting consultant who it appears to scam Tyler, the incredibly realistic facebook comments. In this short film Connor finds lookalikes for John Mayer and Colin Mochrie, uses AI voices to imitate famous people, and blurs the faces of nonactors. This makes the film a mess, but its a good mess and adds to the chaos of the overall experience.
In the end I'm very impressed with how this film turned out, and I've been unable to stop thinking about it for months. I would love to see Connor make another project like this in the future, and I would support him financially to make it happen.
The Social Network (2010)
A great biopic about a not too great man
A movie that aims to capture the success of a single individual tends to be misread by those dissatisfied with their current situation. When I first watched this movie, I had trouble enjoying it due to my hatred of Facebook. As I've gotten older I've learned to enjoy this film as one of Fincher's best directed features.
Looking at his backlog, Fight Club can come off as amateurish, preachy, and some scenes feel like they've been done better in other films. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was overlong and given to sentimentality. The Social Network, by comparison, is tight, sharply written, and incredibly wellshot.
Its impossible to write about this film without acknowledging the current Mark Zuckerberg and his controversy. The fictional Mark and the real Mark are hardly the same person, and this doesn't affect my score of the film, but I can see it negatively impacting many other people's experience of the film.
Seeing Fincher's latest feature The Killer, I sadly believe he will never live up to the heights of The Social Network. However idealized the film may be, I cannot dislike it as others have.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
A perfect portayal of success
The Wolf of Wall Street is, to my eyes, a perfect movie. Despite the moral grayness of what is happening on the film, I love the comedy and overall absurd tone of the film.
The fictional Jordan Belfort is greed and excess personified. He seems to be every negative stereotype of a yuppie, from the drugs to the prostitutes and the deception of gullible investors, taken to the extreme. The fact it is based on a real person and a real story adds a dimension to the film that is great for people who like to dig into the backstory of everything in a film.
This crime film has a relentless energy that never slows down, and it can be hard for a first time viewer to keep up. This movie is also a 3 hour movie that I don't get bored by, and I can think of few movies as skilled at that.
In conclusion, The Wolf of Wall Street is one of the best biopics of the 2010s. With Jordan Belfort and his new book on the way, its clear the world has forgiven Jordan for his fraud and I can't wait to read his new novel.
The Hero's Journey aka My Life aka the Caleb Johnston Story (I'm Caleb) (2024)
Boring movie for dull young people
The Caleb Johnston story is a boring film about a foolish character. Based on Joel's previous videos about a schmuck with social problems, someone told Joel it was a good idea to give the world ninety minutes of this cringe individual.
My biggest problem with this movie is none of the characters are smart enough to be interesting. In order to relate to anyone or their struggles would require me to deform my perception to match the many "quirks" of these characters. The way they talk (a lot of swearing), the references to Tiktok trends, and a cringy scene at the end where Caleb talks to his mom about video games.
Besides that, the strangeness of Caleb unsettles me. Why does he smash his phone so he cannot receive calls? Why doesn't he just apply for a job at Mcdonalds and stay with a coworker? Its clear even Joel doesn't think Caleb is smart, as he uses a deep voice that people use when they imitate stupid people. So why are we following this character?
In the end, The Hero's Journey is an unfortunate film. In Joel's attempt to reach out to his audience and their unique challenges, he creates a stupid character that makes no progress in life. Maybe that is most of Joel's audience, and I'm just out of the loop?