Top 5 of April 2018

Here we are yet again, the end of one month and the beginning of a new one. I feel like every time I sit down to write these I have something new and exciting to tell my readers. This post won't be any different.

My short film La Esencia, which has been a subject of the blog in the past and has been my main focus this past year since it's inception, was just selected to play at the 2018 Scottsdale Short Film Festival. I couldn't be more excited to show the world my movie and what so many people worked so hard on to help create. This is only a baby step in the right direction, but I couldn't be happier to call my project done and ready for its festival run. Here's to hoping it dazzles audiences at whatever film festivals it plays at in the future!

This past month I've been lackluster with my "daily movie resolution". A combination of heavy post-production work and a light family vacation to Reno, Nevada kept me busy and away from my television. Nevertheless, I still managed to watch some fantastic films and a few in particular I will never forget and carry with me for the rest of my life. Here's my top 5 films I watched for the first time in April of 2018:

#5: Michael Clayton (2007)

Written and Directed by Tony Gilroy

The past month and a half I've had the opportunity to watch George Clooney in a lot of great roles for the first time. Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, as well as his lead role in Up in the Air and Three Kings. However this film sees Clooney giving his most dramatic and powerful performance as the title character, a law firm "fixer" who uncovers a scandal that drives his fellow lawyer to utter madness. Clooney and writer/director Tony Gilroy do a fantastic job of building the tension and clues to invest you in the story, but not give away the end result or jeopardize the critical skills our protagonist must gain to solve the case at hand. This movie left me with wanting a sequel to the badassery that is Michael Clayton and how he does business.

#4: Song to Song (2017)

Written and Directed by Terrence Malick

Terrence Malick has a tendency to make incredibly cerebral films, which I enjoy from time to time. Some movies are meant for turning your brain off and diving into a world of little complexion and non-stop fun. Song to Song is a film about several musicians based out of Austin, Texas whose crossing paths create a love triangle of obsession and betrayal. The movie isn't quite as dramatic as you might expect though. Instead the drama and sorrow of the relationships are captured in the filmmaking and exceptional storytelling skills Terrence Malick possesses. His collaboration with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki once again provides a surreal cinematic experience that few other filmmakers can capture as boldly as Malick does. He forces you to connect the dots between the characters, only to jumble the dots up again after you've established their world and relationships. Combined with great performances from Rooney Mara, Ryan Gosling, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett this movie is one to remember.

#3: The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (2018)

Directed by Judd Apatow

One thing I decided to do differently this month was start watching more documentaries. I love storytelling and linear filmmaking, but a small part of me forgot that documentaries exist and that the stories they can tell can be more powerful than your traditional narrative. This is exceptionally true for Judd Apatow's documentary about the life and times of comedian Garry Shandling, whom I had never heard of or really known about before watching this two-part documentary special. I gotta say, after watching this I wish I had known about Shandling sooner. Not only was his comedy and demeanor groundbreaking but he was an inspiration for most of today's greatest writers and comedians. I've found myself following in the "teachings" of Garry as well as starting to watch his HBO classic The Larry Sanders Show, a parody of a late-night talk show that he stars in and created himself. Rest in peace Garry.

#2: 20th Century Women (2016)

Written and Directed by Mike Mills

Before watching this movie, I thought I had grown up in a fairly normal household with a fairly normal family life. Now I look back on my childhood and teenage years as fairly tame and sheltered, and I couldn't be more grateful for my family to protect me and be there for me when I needed them most. 20th Century Women follows a teenage boy named Jamie who is being raised by a single mother, played by Annette Bening. A story as simple and old as time itself unfolds into something truly unique and special quite unlike anything I've ever seen before. The perspective of a struggling mother, the tenants she's renting her home out to, what goes on in their lives and how it affects their relationships with each other. This movie is a strong period piece with fantastic cultural and literary references that make it easy to identify with the powerful characters, no matter what your personal background is. Strong acting performances from Annette Bening, as well as Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning and Billy Crudup truly make this film something special to see.

#1: The Florida Project (2017)

Directed by Shawn Baker

Without a doubt the most powerful and unexpected film I watched this whole month, and maybe even for the whole year so far. Director/Co-writer Shawn Baker delivers something astounding here in his passion project about life in rural Florida outside of Walt Disney World. What else can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said? The amazing performances Baker gets out of his actors, some of whom have never acted on a project of this scale ever before in their lives. The cinematography, shot on 35mm film (with a special section of the film shot on iPhone) transports you into the lives and minds of the main characters like no other. And as if that wasn't enough to formulate a fantastic film, Baker and Chris Bergoch's story about children just trying to live their lives in such a big world is one for the ages. A small part of my inner filmmaker wants to watch and study this movie everyday for the rest of my life.

Thus concludes my top 5 list for April 2018. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. A few other fantastic films I watched this month that didn't make the cut include Scarface, Fear and Desire, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Defiant Ones and The Jungle Book (2016). Thanks so much as always for reading and I'll see you next month with a whole new list!

-morgan