blue4n

The original Star Wars is a triumph of visual storytelling, special effects, and archetypal characterization. A cultural touchstone for the past 50 years, it remains one of the most influential films off all-time. Like all films which spawn franchises, A New Hope deserves much praise for being the "first", the original. This was the leap of faith that Lucas took against all odds. In a vacuum, the film is a self-contained story that draws on classic elements of fantasy. A unlikely, humble hero who runs into destiny. A princess in distress. A scoundrel who reluctantly joins the cause. A mysterious wizard who guides the hero on his journey. And a villain that seems all-powerful. We see the plot progress exactly how we expect, yet we are on the edge of our seat almost the entire time. Is the film perfect? Not entirely. There are aspects that have not aged as gracefully as others. The plot slows down a fair bit in the middle act. The lightsaber fight is underwhelming. The dialogue isn't always amazing. But these are small issues that barely detract from a near-masterpiece.

Watching nearly two decades after its release, Paranoid Park is something like a nostalgic fever dream--or perhaps, a nightmare-back to the mid 2000's. The film's cinematography and non-linear plot create a trancelike mood that lends to the films premise of paranoia and teenage hopelessness. Moreover, this film exists as a nostalgia time capsule to pre-iphone American youth. The era of my childhood and adolescence is captured here in a way that is stark and unpretentious. The film comes so close to aesthetic greatness, but falls just short. However, the plodding pace, distracting soundtrack, and miserable acting really make this film a painful watch at times. Famously, the film was cast using Myspace, but unfortunately that yielded dreadful performances across the board. While the authenticity of the cast helps soften this, by the end of the movie the performances become just too bad to excuse. Again, this film came close to something truly amazing, the stuff cult-classics are made of. But it just doesn't have the performances or plot structure to make it there. Yet, the film spoke to me as a sort of eulogy for my generation's youth. A time that is now long gone, but we long for--even the painful moments.