Today I flew into Charlotte, NC. Here I’ll be working behind (and in front of) a camera for the first time! Before getting started though, a friend and I saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Alongside Brigsby Bear, it ended up being one of the two best new movies I’ve seen of late. What better time could there be than my first filming experience to talk about why?!
By the way, I won’t go too much into plot of each. See trailers and summaries at the links above!
Why Three Billboards is one of the best new movies
1. Character development – wow. The growth from beginning to end for each of the three main characters was phenomenal. It made the experience for me and was as well done as I’ve seen in a while. A big part of what made this movie so great was a concept I actually talked about recently too, which I call healthy vengeance!
2. Acting – Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. You know what to expect with these names on a cast list. All three consistently turn in great performances. But the depth of the characters in this movie brought out another level in each. McDormand in her fire extinguisher scene, Harrelson in the barn, and Rockwell with his headphones in the police station were all POWERFUL.
3. Flaws – this is both a positive and a negative. The positive is each of the characters were flawed, which is realistic. It made for a comical environment too. On the negative side, there are also minor flaws in the plot. The circumstances of the antagonist and some of what the characters get away with were questionable at times. However, nothing distracted too much from the tremendous positives.
Why Brigsby Bear is one of the best new movies
1. True originality – it’s nice to see this kind of movie get some attention outside of festivals. You simply don’t see such creativity on the big screen the large majority of the time. There was the right amount of weird too. It wasn’t some movie only a critic would like, in my opinion. Fun and imaginative throughout.
2. Great message – do what you love. No matter what anyone thinks or says about how you “should” live. Hold your passion close and immerse yourself in it. Considering point 1 on originality, this is all the more relevant to how we can imply this film was made by its actual creators.
3. Acting – Kyle Mooney and Mark Hamill are both great. Mooney in particular showed a true knack for acting outside of the comedy he’s known for. He created a character with a huge heart and one we feel for in his tough circumstances. As much as he is odd and was forced into an odd world, it is easy to relate to him. Sometimes we all feel outcast in the way he is. The authenticity he shows in the face of that actually makes him a hero as the story progresses.
What I love most
The message and originality of Brigsby Bear are so near and dear to my heart as an author. There have been posts I’ve seen from creatives about creating market-driven art. Honestly, fuck that. Create what your heart wants created. Doing anything for money is absurd when you have a passion you love participating in. Follow it.
One of the most important parts of the Civilands series, to me, is character development. Whether it’s Latera, William, Jeannie, or any of the characters in the story, I try to ensure there is clear growth. We are all coming of age and we are doing it continuously throughout our lives. Three Billboards has reinforced this to me and if you like growing alongside characters I highly recommend it.
That’ll do it for tonight. Thanks so much for reading and please feel free to let me know your thoughts below 🙂
