My Friend Dahmer

MY FRIEND DAHMER

B 

This film felt like a school project. Like a film student's senior thesis. A film that served little purpose. Had no reason to be made other than the interests and desires of the person making it.  

Nevertheless, it was an entertaining film.  What I appreciated about it the most was Ross Lynch's performance. He completely embodied Jeffery Dahmer. The way he walked, the way he talked. The way he sat in a chair. The way he starred. The way he breathed.  The amount of devotion and dedication that Lynch put into practically reincarnating Dahmer to the point of seeming as if he were possessed by Dahmer was innately impressive.  I cannot give him enough praise.  Compared to the 2002 DAHMER film where Jeremy Renner simply played the role as if he would any other.  Treating Dahmer as if he were simply a character, made up on the page that he could interpret or do anything he wanted with.  You don't do that when the person you are playing was a real life human being. You do what Lynch did. You study, you fixate, you become.  

Did we need a film on who Dahmer was before he became the hideous killing sexual deviant that the world knows him as. Did we need a glimpse into his family and social life?  No, especially since some of it was inaccurate. Yet as to what was accurate. As to what was honest in its depiction, it was fascinating.  As a man who was studied serial killers, I can't help but be drawn to to a film like this. 

Lastly I'll say that the placement of Badfinger's DAY AFTER DAY was an usual juxtaposition that shouldn't have worked as well as it did, but it did.  

 

WAGONS EAST

WAGONS EAST 

 C

It took me over 25 years to finally sit down and watch this film. As much as I loved John Candy, I could never bring myself to accept that this was going to be the last time I'd ever get to see him in anything. I have to say that for as bad as a rap as this film receives, it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated.  

Yes it was corny.  The jokes were lame and predictable.  It didn't feel like a film you'd sit down and enjoy with your whole family. It felt more like the kind of film that you'd take your little boy or girl to and snooze through it while they laughed at the trivial humor.   

What I do have to give the film credit for, is its all star cast.  Not only John Candy and Richard Lewis, but Robert Picardo, Gailard Sartain, John C McGinley and others. The one thing this film did not lack was talent.   

I know that Candy's unexpected death caused for the film to have a lot of last minute rewrites. I wonder if it might have also taken the steam out of the cast and crew. I can't imagine what it'd be like to be working on a film when one of your costars passes away.  As well liked and loved as Candy was, I can only see that having a negative effect on everyone.  It would have been hard to continue.  Hard to carry on the work at a top level. I  think it can not only be seen but also felt that after Candy's sudden death, the energy was no longer there.  

This is often sold as Candy's worst film and while a fair criticism on the surface, I'm not sure if it remains fair within its depth.  What would this film have turned out to be had Candy not died? It's a fair question I think.  I highly doubt to the heights of UNCLE BUCK or THE GREAT OUTDOORS, but I imagine a better rating than what it got.     

If anything I wonder if other John Candy films watch this film with the same bit of resentment that I did. At no fault of its own, WAGONS EAST was the setting in which our beloved John Candy was taken from us. A reminder that it was here that he met his premature end.  A professional critic would certainly never admit that, but I'm not a professional.  I do. 

ROCKETMAN

 

ROCKETMAN 

B+

I felt somewhat ashamed as I watched this film.  I've been a huge fan of Elton John's music my entire life. I can remember going down the road listening to cassette tapes of Elton John back when my parents were still married. They've been divorced since 1991.  I don't know all of John's songs but I can name more songs by him than I can any other artist or band. 

I knew a little about him. I knew of  Bernie Taupin.  Of how the two friends had a working partnership throughout their song writing different than that of any I've ever read or heard of since.  I knew he was from England. I knew a few other little facts about him.

Yet a majority of the "facts" depicted about John throughout the film, I was unaware of. Hence the " " and why an otherwise A film is given a rating of B+.  In my opinion while it's ok to omit certain facts or embellish the truth, the one thing you don't do in a biopic is outright fabricate. I didn't take the time to do a side by side comparison of everything stated in this film, but I did enough to know that a few of the things they said about John in the film were inaccurate.  It makes me wonder what all was truth and what was fiction.  I feel that it serves as an injustice to the person as well as to the person who wants to learn about him, if false information is given. 

Moving on....

The performances in this film were very well done. Taron Egerton was an excellent cast for Elton John.  He captured him in his essence, demeanor and pose. I appreciated how he became him.   

What I appreciated most about the film was how the music and songs were interwoven into the scenes with expert timing and precision. They fit the narrative and came in at the exact right moments.  So many times in musicals, and I certainly felt this way in BOHEMIAN RAPSODY, songs are thrown in at random because "Hey, it's a musical!".  Yet in ROCKETMAN they all all fit.  It was done well.  Other musicals could stand to watch this film to see the proper way in which it should be done.