Hamlet 2 (2008)

In my humble opinion, the 2008 comedy Hamlet 2 directed by Andrew Fleming is one of the most underrated comedies of the past decade. This sensational movie starring Steve Coogan is a laugh riot, but it never sacrifices quality writing or directing for cheap laughs. The script is very tight and the premise is original and hilarious.

In a world where we are bombarded with inspirational teacher movies at least three times a year (“How do I reach these keedz?!”), Hamlet 2 emerges as a brilliant yet heartwarming satire of that tired genre. When West Mesa High drama teacher Dana Marschz learns that the drama program is being eliminated at the end of the year, and he can only do one more production. He decides to make the most balls-out insane original production imaginable, and eventually he is shut down by the school board. However, with the help of his ragtag group of students, they perform the play outside of school, and it becomes a national hit.

Hamlet 2 satirizes the inspirational teacher genre by making Dana Marschz the antithesis of that archetype. He is delusional, dimwitted, a recovering alcoholic, and his wife leaves him for his best friend. He cannot afford a car so he roller-skates to school. The movie also takes a very early meta turn when Dana himself talks about inspirational teacher movies- he cites Dead Poets Society and Mr. Holland’s Opus. It’s obvious he wants to be the one to “rehabilitate” his rough class full of rowdy students of various races- but it turns out they don’t need help at all. He does. Instead, the students are the most mature and level-headed people in the entire movie. They are the ones to tell Dana to get his act together and they make the play, titled Hamlet 2 (a sequel to Shakespeare’s Hamlet), actually happen.

The screenplay is excellent, and very obviously written by Pam Brady, who is known for her work with Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The work is politically incorrect, taking potshots at everyone from Jewish people to Hispanics to Christians. Yet the movie doesn’t even toe the line of being offensive. It’s a ferociously funny, atypical script, with lines and moments that you’ll miss the first time you watch it.

I can’t forget to mention the soundscape of the film. The play that Dana Marschz is writing is a musical. They tease you with little moments throughout the film, but you don’t get the full scope until the play is actually performed. The most memorable songs are “Raped In The Face” and “Rock Me Sexy Jesus”- songs you will have stuck in your head for days, but feel very uncomfortable singing in public.

Does Hamlet 2 have widespread appeal? Absolutely not. But will you have the most fun in the world watching it? Absolutely yes. 

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

The 2009 film (500) Days of Summer has gained lots of critical success, earning praise from critics such as Roger Ebert and Peter Travers. It is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and earned two Golden Globe nominations. Does this film deserve so much praise? I think it does.

The writing in the screenplay is original and fun to follow. The story is presented as a nonlinear narrative. We know from the beginning of the story that Tom Hansen and Summer Finn are broken up, but how did they get that way? The film jumps around this 500 day relationship, going from early in the relationship, to the end, then jumping back to the middle, and so on. This different format is much more interesting than the typical mode of storytelling which is beginning, middle, and end.

It also defies the typical genre of romantic-comedy. Director Marc Webb has stated that it’s more of a coming of age story. I do believe it’s not so much a rom-com, but I am not convinced it’s a coming of age story. Coming of age implies that the protagonist Tom has learned and matured. We see Tom quit his job and reach out to his dream career, but I don’t think Tom ever truly learned anything from his relationship with Summer. He played the victim the entire time and behaved despicably, projecting his image of a perfect woman onto Summer. At the end of the film, he meets a new woman named Autumn, and we are left to assume they might start a relationship. Frankly, I’m worried about Autumn. Who’s to say Tom won’t act childish in this relationship as well? Get out of there, Autumn. Still, I like that it plays around with genre. In the end, I would classify it as a dark comedy.

This leads me to the idea of the Gaze being used in this movie. Tom projecting his preferred image of Summer is certainly a variation of the Male Gaze. There are two matching scenes where Tom tells what he loves and hates about Summer. At first he expresses what he loves about her: her smile, her birthmark, her knees, etc. We see the camera focus on these parts of her. After the breakup, he says he hates these parts. Did Tom ever really know who Summer was as a person? Or did he envision an ideal person and relationship that no woman could ever live up to? I say the latter.

The editing is also very noteworthy in this film. Without the excellent work of Alan Edward Bell, there wouldn’t be some of the most poignant scenes in the movie, such as the “Expectation/Reality” series. The screen is split into two parts, Tom’s expectations of what will happen with Summer on the left and the reality of what happens on the right. It’s a very striking visual.

These are only a few elements of (500) Days of Summer that make it a great film. I think it appeals to a wide audience and the story will hold up over time, much like some classic Woody Allen films.

Spring Breakers (2013)

2013 has seen the arrival of many interesting films already, but perhaps none quite as thrilling as Spring Breakers. Director Harmony Korine already has a reputation for strange films: Gummo and Kids are among them. Spring Breakers fits perfectly on his mantle, shining brighter than all the others combined.

What a unique and quality piece of film this is. Korine has managed to slam so much energy into every single shot whilst creating a mind-blowing satire. The very opening scene of this movie involves a montage of young people celebrating Spring Break. Men with beer bongs and scantily-clad women erupt on the scene, the colors so heavily saturated you're nearly blinded. You're also nearly deafened by the accompanying score composed by Skrillex and Cliff Martinez. Cliff Martinez producing some music for this film is not very surprising. He is known for his idiosyncratic scores for films such as Drive and Contagion. Skrillex seems odd at first. However, after the movie begins, it all makes sense. This movie runs on pure energy for the entire hour and a half. No other music would have matched the hyperactive story. For once, dubstep is not painful to listen to. It fits perfectly.

My favorite part of this film was the satire of it. Korine purposely casted a group of well-known young actresses. This brought an entire fanbase immediately to the box office. The film then slyly satirized that fanbase. This movie was catered to the youthful MTV generation, but at the same time, it was shading that generation. It exposed the true hedonistic and vain pursuits of the culture that celebrates Spring Break. Several critics and moviegoers have simply been blind to the satire and have taken this film entirely too seriously. With dialogue like “You're never gonna get this pussy” (said in a sing-song tone) and “Rise and shine, little bitch”, I struggle to understand how one could ever think this movie was anything other than pure satire.

The screenplay of this film is incredible. The dialogue is constantly at a high 10. Particular attention need be given to James Franco's character Alien. His rattling dialogue combined with Franco's perfect delivery makes for one of the greatest performances of 2013 already. (Yes, I went there.) After the Spring Break girls come to Alien's house, he shows them around whilst giving a brilliant monologue. (“This is the fuckin' American dream! This is my dream, y'all! Look at my shit!) This is an original screenplay from Korine himself and it is definitely memorable.

The best part of the movie is the Britney Spears montage. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. Imagine James Franco playing piano and crooning Spears's “Everytime.” Now imagine that playing over a series of scenes where three young women go on a robbing spree and do synchronized dancing with AK-47s.

I really cannot praise this movie enough. The dialogue, acting, and soundtrack is amazing. The underlying theme is also incredible. A movie most people thought would be a silly vacation flick is actually a satire that flipped an entire generation on its head. God bless you, Harmony Korine.

Jaws (1975)

The 1975 Steven Spielberg film Jaws has been called the greatest film ever made by many critics. What makes this simple story about a shark so great? Is it the direction? The cinematography? The soundtrack? I would argue that every element adds up to one of the classic films of the 20^th century.

Steven Spielberg was a young amateur during the making of Jaws. The entire production was incredibly over budget and everything seemed to be going wrong- crewmembers even had their own nickname for the film: Flaws. The mechanical shark was malfunctioning, sailboats were drifting into frame, and cameras were getting wet. Despite all of these hindrances, the film has several stunning and groundbreaking shots. My favorite is the dolly zoom on Roy Scheider's character Martin Brody. Brody realizes there is a shark in the water, and the camera zooms in on him. The zoom was made by using the camera zoom and by physically moving the camera at the same time. The cinematographer Bill Butler made the focus clearly on Brody, and exaggerated the dire straits he was in.

John Williams created the score for Jaws. Although he was a seasoned composer by 1975, Jaws was his first major blockbuster success that made him a household name. Two simple chords repeated over and over again accompanied the startling approach of the villainous shark. The score combined with the other sounds in the film- boats creaking, water splashing- makes for a memorable film experience.

My favorite part of Jaws is the screenplay, something I feel gets overlooked. For most, the memorable scenes are the shark attacks. My favorite scene is when Martin Brody sits at his kitchen table with his son. He is clearly stressed out, and his son mimics his hand and face movements. Brody then leans in and says “Give us a kiss.” When his son asks why, he replies “Cause I need it.” The dialogue here is so simple, yet the scene works so beautifully. The fact that these emotional scenes work just as well as the thrilling shark scenes is the mark of a good screenplay.

Jaws essentially created the concept of the summer blockbuster for cinema. It brought in casual moviegoers but also was a critical darling. I think Jaws definitely deserves to be listed at one of the greatest movies of all time.