The taxi to Bel Air keeps rolling along, and this time we visit the Prince in the latter part of his career with a look at the con-man romance, Focus. The movie is nothing like the synopsis on IMDb or HBO Go would have you believe. In fact, it’s really a film made of two stories, and the first one is mucher better than the second. But, we do what we always do as we take Will Smith’s Focus to the analysis table.
Before the analysis can begin however, we sit around the table to talk about some of our favorite plot twists in film. So, beware, there may be spoilers for movies you haven’t seen. It’s a fun conversation as Caleb tries to upset Dustin with mentions of Rosebud.
This week, Dalton, Caleb, Alex, and Dustin discuss several key issues and ideas based around the production of Focus. Dalton and Alex wind up tag teaming the film as they discuss age discrepancies and feminism. The idea of the recent Twitter hit Ross Putnam and FemScriptIntros comes up as they discuss the sexism that is rampant in Hollywood filmmaking as well as Hollywood’s lolita complex. Caleb then discusses Hollywood and American Culture’s interest in Byronic characters; mentioning that this film further enforces the idea of the byronic hero as someone we should back and support. Dustin then wraps things up with a look at how the film can be viewed as a neo-noir. He goes into great detail about the formal aspects and the stylistic flourishes which allow this film to stand out before highlighting it as a modern take on a studio era, factory made film.
Alright dear listener, that’s what we have in store for you this week. Remember, the hand is quicker than the eye; did you know you already hit the play button? Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Remember, it’s all about the focus.
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FOCUS TIME STAMPS
00:45 – Intros and Welcome
03:11 – Synopsis and Reviews
09:28 – The Game: Favorite Plot Twists – SPOILER ALERT
16:20 – Analysis
34:24 – Shelf or Trash: Else or Instead
39:04 – Social Media, Wrap Up, and Next Week’s Film
Arthur is a creator of content, lover of movies, and father of dogs. If you want to keep the conversation going, then click here to follow Arthur on Twitter. If you would like to keep up with what Arthur is watching, then head over to Letterboxd and give him a follow!
