10th Anniversary TLDR: Foxcatcher (2014)
Ornithologist, philatelist, philanthropist.
Plot: The greatest Olympic Wrestling Champion brother team joins Team Foxcatcher led by multimillionaire sponsor John E. du Pont as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul - a union that leads to unlikely circumstances.
Direction: After a Best Director Oscar nomination for Capote, Bennett Miller followed that up with two of the great sports movies, Moneyball (my favorite baseball movie) and Foxcatcher, which brought him another Oscar nomination. He hasn't made a movie since. It's a shame because he does really great work. I think he's one of the few filmmakers who actually understands the emotional and spiritual nourishment of sports. When and if he makes another movie, I'll be one of the first in line.
Screenplay: E. Max Frye was the first screenwriter attached, whittling down hundreds of hours of research, interviews, and real-life footage into a story and first draft. He then handed it to Daniel Futterman, who wrote a few more drafts. The final film seems to be a little bit of everyone's ideas, including Miller and the actors.
Cinematography: The whole movie feels like the wrestling gyms they workout in: cold, metallic, fluorescent. Greig Fraser does great work.
Performances: Maybe the best part of the whole thing. Every time I watch it, I'm reminded of what a great actor Channing Tatum can be. The physicality! Mark Ruffalo is top-tier underrated - everybody knows and loves him, but I still don't think he gets enough credit. But Steve Carell steals the whole damn thing. In one of his first dramatic roles, he made me go, "Thank God he left The Office." He may never be this good, or breathy, ever again.
Best Moment: I will never not get chills with John brings the gun into the wrestling practice.
Imaginary Accolade: Best Trailer I Saw While Working at a Movie Theater. My first job in high school was working at a small, independent movie theater. When closing the doors to a screening of who-knows-what, the trailer of Foxcatcher caught my eye, compelling me to stand in the back and watch. For weeks, I would stand in the back of screenings and wait for that trailer. I couldn't wait to see the movie - it really is a great trailer.
Everything is too long. Is it too long? No complaints about 134 minutes of a great movie. If anything, it's not enough. I find the story so interesting that I've supplemented it with Mark Schultz's memoir Foxcatcher, the documentary Team Foxcatcher, and the 30 for 30 documentary The Prince of Pennsylvania.
Fun Fact: Miller's first rough cut was four hours long. I'd watch it! Where's the special 10th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray complete with a Director's Cut?
Rating: Heavyweight.
Credit: Plot synopsis from Letterboxd via TMDb.