![]() How do you learn a language that’s never been translated before? Louise does a pretty good job. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a world-renowned linguist tasked with finding out what the aliens want. However, it’s the movie’s take on linguistics that interest us. The film has all the high-concept, global consequences of most big budget alien movies, but its measured pace, and its focus on a single human character, are unique and refreshing. The film definitely lives up to the hype, earning 8.4/10 on IMDB and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes at time of writing.Īrrival is an original take on the first contact sub-genre. Warning: Ardent moviegoers may consider some of the following descriptions of Arrival to be spoilers, but if you’re willing to watch the trailer, what follows shouldn’t give much away.įor weeks, word people have been raving on social media about Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. Marks, more comfortable with the comedy though she is, is not afraid to explore the more sensitive and uncomfortable aspects of the characters' conflicts - Max and his overprotectiveness of Wally, Wally's uncertain exploration of her own budding teen sexuality, Max's long-repressed regrets over his life - and Vera Herbert's script fleshes out the characters in all their flaws and mistakes.Arrival excites linguists and cinephiles with sci-fi originality and a peek into academic linguistics. We've seen so many morose dramas about the emotionally shattering effects of cancer and so many goofy road trip movies that descend into broad comedy, but "Don't Make Me Go" sits somewhere in between the two - a tonal balance that is more difficult to maintain than the movie makes it look. And while that sounds like it could be exhausting, it only makes "Don't Make Me Go" a more entertaining watch, especially in the face of its subject matter. Funky text declaring the duo's arrival in a new state and creatively placed text messages abound, as does a generally sunny color palette and a surprising amount of bokeh shots. Marks directs "Don't Make Me Go" with a flair befitting the kind of quirky indie dramedy that would debut at a film festival. It works because of the wonderfully vulnerable and emotionally timid performance by Cho, it works because of the funny, awkward, authentic chemistry between Cho and Isaac, and it works because director Hannah Marks handles what could be a devastating subject with a light, lovely touch. Yes, like many a tearjerker, it's not hard to see the emotional wiring behind "Don't Make Me Go." And while it's easy to be cynical about a movie that is so finetuned to make you cry, it works. Yada yada yada, they both learn things about each other and about embracing life. Along the way, their journey takes turns for the frightening (Max disappearing overnight to sneak away to a party with older teenagers on an isolated farm), the humorous (one particularly hilarious episode involves an accidental detour to a nude beach), and the touching (every scene where John Cho sings Iggy Pop). And with little time to lose, Max convinces Wally to accompany him on a road trip - under the pretense of giving her driving lessons - from California to New Orleans for his 20th college reunion, where he hopes to reunite Wally with her mother. Max opts for the latter, terrified of leaving Wally on her own.
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