4 – A Complete Unknown

A young Bob Dylan travels miles away from his home to visit his hero, Woody Guthrie, in the hospital. When he gets there he finds his hero with Pete Seeger, another well known singer of the time. They ask him to play a song for them. When he does, both of them can see his potential. Seeger then works to get young Dylan up on stage to perform his modified folk music. As Bob Dylan gains popularity in the folk music scene, the genre itself is gaining traction across the country. This push towards the folk genre is enough to help Dylan find his way in the industry.

“What makes a musical genre that genre and who says music can’t be modified?”

During this time, Bob is dating a girl named Sylvie but a young folk singer named Joan Baez has also caught his eye. Tension within his personal life rises when Joan and him start to tour and sing together keeping him away from Sylvie. But tension is also heating up around him politically as the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement become top news across the country. After seeing this injustice and the political ignorance, Dylan becomes a voice of a generation. But what happens when that voice wants to change? In the late 60s Dylan wanted to shift his folk music from acoustic guitar to electric and many people became angry with that change. This film tells the story of Bob Dylan’s journey through his discovery of music he wanted to write and the topics he wanted to write about, even if people didn’t like it.

I was very impressed with this movie. Going into this movie I didn’t know much about Bob Dylan and had never heard his music before. Even though I had no context going into this film, I was still able to become invested in the story. For a film that took limited liberties with the actual events, it was very impressive the way the story of Bob Dylan’s young career came together. I think the story the film told was very interesting and well written. The movie asks the audience, “What makes a musical genre that genre and who says music can’t be modified?”

Following the young musician as he grows to realize that it’s his music and he can do what he likes with it was very inspiring. He wrote what he wanted about what he wanted to write about. The audience can constantly see situations where people try to put him in a box he refused to go into. Whether it’s his record label or folk music fans. When all is said and done, the message of this story is to not judge things you don’t understand or refuse to give a chance. 

I think that this movie was very good technically speaking. I thought that the sound mixing was excellent, as well as the directing. Director and screenwriter James Mangold (with the help of fellow writer Jay Cocks), made strong storytelling decisions. I especially like the decision to show the entirety of Bob Dylan’s set at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The audience was able to follow along in real time as they saw the chaos unfold at the festival as Dylan debuted his new electronic guitar driven music. 

Both Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton put on amazing performances. Chalamet did a great job of showing the angst and the hunger of the young artist. He portrayed a side of the character of Bob Dylan that was unsatisfied: unsatisfied with the government, with his music, and with his producers. This leads to this unsatisfied feeling seeping into his relationship with Sylvie. He doesn’t know himself as well as he would like and it makes him lash out at those who try to understand him. This soon puts pressure on him to become the person people want him to be and he becomes a very cold person as a result. I think Timothée does a very good job of showing this transition.

Edward Norton also puts on an impressive performance as Pete Seeger. He was very good at showing his love for folk music and the people who make it. The actress, Monica Barbaro, who plays Joan Baez, also was very enjoyable to watch and I think she did a great job in the role. She shows Joan Baez as someone with her own ambition and motivations even though she is playing a supporting role. All three of these actors did very well when it came to the singing. They all sound very similar to the people they are acting as. 

The only problem I have with this film is the fact that it does drag. There are definitely moments that didn’t need to be as long as they were. And note this movie is rated R for Language. This movie is a 4/5 for me.

3 – Challengers

After Tashi, a young tennis player, breaks her leg, making it impossible for her to play at an advanced level like she was once able to, she decides to train a young tennis player named Art. The problem is that both Art and his best friend Patrick are interested in dating Tashi. Her choice to train Art over Patrick kicks off a years-long rivalry between the two friends. 

This movie is told out of order to reveal key events or character traits as they relate to the present plot. I always thought that this was a very interesting reason to tell a story out of order and can be seen in other movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. 

“This story shows what can come of obsession and passion when it’s taken to the extreme, both the negatives and positives repercussions.”

This movie was very entertaining and very dramatic. Everyone had ulterior motives and you spent the whole movie trying to figure out who to believe and who to root for. Everyone was out for themselves and they aren’t afraid to manipulate others to get it. This story shows what can come of obsession and passion when it’s taken to the extreme, both the negatives and positives repercussions. 

I think the soundtrack fits the aesthetic of the movie well. I also think the directing was very good and was shocked when Luca Guadagnino was not nominated for an academy award for his work on the film. Honestly, it surprised me to see that it didn’t get a single nomination.

“I think Zendaya definitely deserved a nomination for playing Tashi.”

Aside from Malcolm and Marie, in a lot of past films Zendaya has only been cast in supporting roles, but I think this movie really showed audiences that she could carry a movie and do it well. Tashi’s cut throat mentality towards what she is passionate about shows her need to be both the best in the game, and entertained by her opponent. She believes that true sportsmanship is one of the most powerful feelings and all she wants is to feel that. Even after she breaks her leg, she makes an effort to feel that power again, even if it is vicariously through Art. In every single scene Zendaya is in, she commands the room. She shifts the power dynamic in every situation in her favor. I think Zendaya definitely deserved a nomination for playing Tashi.

 This film is a rated R movie. There are some moments that are very intense and uncomfortable for some viewers so keep that in mind before you sit down to watch this film. There are some inappropriate scenes and the part of the movie where Tashi breaks her leg is pretty graphic.

Tashi’s passion and the bitter rivalry between Art and Patrick is what makes this movie come in third on this list. 3.5/5 stars from me.

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