Napierslogs' Movie Expositions

Fireflies in the Garden: Movie Review

2012-03-04T18:55:00.001-05:00

The very picture of an irreversibly dysfunctional family.

“Fireflies in the Garden” is one of those rare movies where a stellar cast and script based on a Robert Frost poem (!) could not get itself a release. Four years later, it got a straight-to-DVD release. And for good reason, it’s really bad. It’s a dysfunctional family drama where the characters are messed up from beginning to middle to end. There is no relief, comedy or otherwise, from the dysfunction.		2008 (2012 DVD Release) Directed by: Dennis Lee Screenplay by: Dennis Lee Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Julia Roberts
It starts with the guise that perhaps it’s not dysfunctional from the very beginning, but no, it is. I made the mistake of reading the back of the DVD case, where I was informed that the Taylors are the very picture of a happy and successful American family. I wonder what constitutes a successful family: Is it the father emotionally and physically abusing his son? Or the husband emotionally and physically abusing his wife? Or the inappropriate relationship between aunt and nephew? Because all of that was conveyed to us in the first two scenes. Not from the very first minute did I confuse this family as a happy and successful one. The film also implies that the family wants to get out from their past and start afresh. Whether they want to or not, that’s not going to happen because they don’t even know what a happy and successful family looks like let alone how to be one. The now grown up son, Michael (Ryan Reynolds) has returned home along with his sister and aunt and father (Willem Dafoe). Michael is a writer because it’s the classic profession to be able to rid yourself of past demons. I was expecting a sort of mystery to develop as the film certainly did imply that each character was hiding something. Of course they were hiding things – repressed emotions. Which doesn’t build to a mystery but melodrama. The title refers to the Frost poem but also one of their childhood activities. Along with everyone I know, on warm summer evenings when the fireflies would be out in their brilliant glory, we would catch them in jars, keep them in our bedrooms, trying to savour the magic of the night. But not the Taylor kids. On warm summer evenings when the glowing fireflies were out, they would go and kill them. Any sympathy was instantly lost, never to be regained.

Current Status:

"Fireflies in the Garden" is currently available as a new release DVD.

The Rebound: Movie Review

2012-03-02T18:05:00.006-05:00

Great actors and good characters gamely traversing a tedious romantic comedy.

“The Rebound” starts with a lame, double-meaning title, ventures into the cringe-worthy territory of romantic comedy, and then somehow finds two characters that are not overdone. Catherine Zeta-Jones is Sandy, fresh off a divorce, starting a new job as a sports writer, and trying to meet a man. (Have you figured out the cleverness of the title?) While, Justin Bartha is Aram, a twenty-something trying to find himself under the annoyance of his wealthy, conservative parents.		2010 (2012 DVD Release) Directed by: Bart Freundlich Screenplay by: Bart Freundlich Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha
I didn’t mean to imply that the characters had never been done before, just that they haven’t been done too often. As you can guess, despite how attractive Zeta-Jones is, she can’t find a decent guy. And despite how smart Aram is, he’s comfortable just being the nanny to Sandy’s kids. Oh, and of course, they eventually realize that they want each other. The problems are numerous. Including montages that are so poorly edited you have no idea how much time was supposed to have passed, jokes delivered by the supporting cast fall flat, and the tediousness of knowing where they are going but they are taking forever to get there. However Zeta-Jones and Bartha are able to add likability, freshness and a fun factor to their characters that you find yourself rooting for them and generally enjoying yourself when you’re in their presence. With any other actors, “The Rebound” would have been unbearable, but as usual, when you find Oscar-winning actors in a straight-to-DVD indie it can be worth watching.

Current Status:

"The Rebound" is currently available as new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Wanderlust: Movie Review

2012-02-29T17:29:00.002-05:00

Good people living with hippies with no intelligent thoughts or humour.

George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) are practical and realistic people in love. They can’t afford to live in New York City anymore so they are off to Atlanta. On the way they run into some hippies, their first instinct is to run away. Unfortunately, George’s brother-in-law is an inappropriate asshole so they are back to the hippie commune, even though first instincts are always right.		2012 Directed by: David Wain Screenplay by: David Wain and Ken Marino Starring: Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston
The first of many problems is the title. Wanderlust means an innate desire to live on the road, to be always travelling, never staying, and for no real reason. Hence, lusting for wandering – wanderlust. George and Linda leave New York City out of necessity and travel (basically straight) to the hippie commune. They are not wanderers. The hippies live in a home that they own. They never leave and they never want to. They are not wanderers. The producers just wanted a catchy title and money. I do not like that. I do like Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston. A lot. I did laugh at Rudd’s occasional moments of physical comedy, but that was it. The rest of the movie was lame sex jokes. Remember this was produced by Judd Apatow but it was not written or directed by him. It was missing a touch of sophistication and consistency to the characters and a level of human understanding and empathy. This was movie was brought to you by some guys who watched a Judd Apatow movie and then while smoking pot liked the idea of free love, man. I don’t like hippies, although I can tolerate the harmless kind. These hippies weren’t real hippies, they were all just a conglomeration of all the various stereotypes. Which is too bad because I like Kathryn Hahn and she can play a hippie (see Our Idiot Brother). This hippie commune is populated with a leader who says it’s not a commune but an “intentional community” because when we say commune it makes people think of hippies sitting around smoking pot and playing guitar. Don’t worry Rudd just looks at him with his sarcastic smirk (as I said, he was the good part). The other good part, which proves how poorly this was made, was Alan Alda’s character. He bought the place in 1971 with 9 other people all with the false hippie ideals of nature, sharing and free love. What we don’t see enough of is how he is no longer a hippie. If they wanted to add an intelligent thought to the movie, or some good acting, they could have done it there. I guess I’m going to have to settle for Rudd and Aniston’s previous collaboration “The Object of My Affection” which even after countless of viewings is funnier than “Wanderlust”.

Current Status:

"Wanderlust" is currently playing in most theatres.

Chalet Girl: Movie Review

2012-02-28T17:20:00.003-05:00

Sports genre predictably meets teen girl coming-of-age in British indie.

Starring Felicity Jones as Kim, “Chalet Girl” is supposed to be a mix of the teen girl and sports genre while making fun of those that live in the privileged bubble. Although it does run the course exactly as expected, it is a British indie version with a very likable lead actress.		2011 (2012 DVD Release) Directed by: Phil Traill Screenplay by: Tom Williams Starring: Felicity Jones
In a recent interview, Jones indicated that she only picks roles with unique characters or characters that require her to stretch beyond her abilities. While I do admire everything she’s done, I don’t quite see how the very simplistic Chalet Girl fits in to her maxim. Kim is a tomboy, a teen skateboarding champion, who, after the death of her mother, resigns herself to taking care of her father and working a dead end job. One of the better parts is that her father can actually take care of himself, almost. We understand why she thinks she needs to be there, but he’s not so incompetent that he’s despicable. In search of better pay, Kim is off to an exclusive catering job. The job requires her to be tall, blonde and have a four-syllable name which rhymes with Bella. She is, of course, none of those things, but she is available to move to Austria on a few hours notice. In Austria, she meets a cute, unavailable guy, rich, demanding families, and tall, privileged blondes. Life is looking like it’s going to be pretty miserable until she discovers snowboarding. Kim has the chance to win a lucrative cash prize in a snowboarding competition, and vie for the attentions of the cute, unavailable client. I was really hoping that “Chalet Girl” would go for a different ending, but alas, you will have seen this movie many times before. But at least it is the British indie version.

Current Status:

"Chalet Girl" is currently available as a new release DVD.

The Chameleon: Movie Review

2012-02-21T20:52:00.001-05:00

A chameleon that isn't interesting or even hiding.

Le caméléon is a French delinquent turned con-artist who has passed himself off as numerous individuals, immersing himself into their lives and often evading the law. “The Chameleon” is a true-story movie version of one such instance. 12 year-old Nicolas disappeared from his family’s home in Louisiana. 4 years later he re-appears in France with a new accent and different look. Everybody is suspicious. Everybody except the family.		2010 (2012 DVD Release) Directed by: Jean-Paul Salomé Screenplay by: Jean-Paul Salomé and Natalie Carter Starring: Marc-André Grondin
But Nicolas’s family, a sister, mother and brother, are messed up drug-addicted criminals who seem to care about nothing except destroying everybody’s life and their own. Frédéric, the chameleon, fits in right at home. What’s difficult in this movie is that to make the story remain interesting, we need to understand the characters and why they’re covering up his identity or why they really believe he is their son and brother. The sister, Kathy (Emilie de Ravin), is the easiest to understand. She’s only moderately messed up and isn’t shooting up heroin in every scene. She has a job so presumably she’s working to get herself a better life. When her long lost brother appears, lost and confused, she’s desperate to cling onto him hoping he can repair her broken family. She doesn’t want to believe that he’s not actually Nicolas. I assumed that the mother (Ellen Barkin) and older brother (Nick Stahl) (supposedly played by the better actors) knew that he wasn’t who he said he was and I just couldn’t understand why they didn’t care. I didn’t realize that I was supposed to think that they did believe it was Nicolas. But I do understand why I didn’t care: Because they were shooting up heroin or drinking and driving in every scene so I just didn’t care about them. The film is about the FBI agents who are trying to uncover the real identity of this found boy and why the family really believes it’s him. They also managed to turn what sounds like an interesting story into a very uninteresting movie. I kept thinking that the next scene would finally unveil something intriguing, but it never did. The lead agent (Famke Janssen) at one point, for no apparent reason, relays a story about an earlier missing persons case she had worked. I found that story interesting and heart-wrenching, and that was just a verbal 1-minute retelling! Apparently the real chameleon really can hide in plain sight making us believe what he wants us to. Unfortunately, that never came across here.

Current Status:

"The Chameleon" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Tanner Hall: Movie Review

2012-02-18T18:31:00.001-05:00

The misadventures of four forgettable and unrelatable teenage girls.

Tanner Hall is one of those all-girl boarding schools set in the old, countryside serenity of New England. It’s probably prestigious (since rich girls go there too), and literally gated. Locked on the inside and out – which seems not only inappropriate but not feasible either since somehow pizza delivery boys can get in. “Tanner Hall” is a teenage girl movie, and of course, our four main girls find no end of trouble in their small school.		2009 (2012 DVD Release) Directed by: Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg Screenplay by: Francesca Gregorini and Tatiana von Furstenberg Starring: Rooney Mara
A main indicator for how good (or how poor) a movie is, is how well they can reach their target audience. Despite competent casting directors, set directors, and cinematographers, “Tanner Hall” is just way too slow to really engage their youthful audience. We are slowly introduced to Fernanda (Rooney Mara), Victoria (Georgia King), Kate (Brie Larson) and Lucasta (Amy Ferguson). And then with poorly thought out drama (and no comedy) we venture forth as they struggle with coming of age. Victoria is a trouble-maker, but one misplaced early scene ruined any chance for a strong moment of empathy for her character. Kate is a sexually adventurous trouble-maker and the one with the best chance for intrigue and suspense but she was only the third main character. Fernanda is supposed to be a good girl but then she falls into temptation with an older man. Lucasta, the fourth-billed, was struggling to figure out what kind of girl she was, wanting to understand what she was attracted to and what was attractive about her. Clearly, this is the most sympathetic character and the one that every girl could relate to in one way or another. But instead, the writers and directors made us spend most of our time with Fernanda whose extracurricular activities were not only immoral but illegal too and completely unrelatable to the normal school-age girl. The grown-up, slowly maturing, adult version of me couldn’t connect with any of the girls and found it awfully hard to sit through. The teenage girl version of me would have been able to connect to one of the girls, but it wouldn’t really be worth my time. Don’t bother seeking out “Tanner Hall”. Just because Rooney Mara is now famous, and an Oscar nominee, doesn’t mean we need to start releasing her earlier, forgettable work.

Current Status:

"Tanner Hall" is currently available as new release DVD.

Carnage: Movie Review

2012-02-10T21:30:00.002-05:00

The carnage left over after a verbal battle of wits.

“Carnage” is about the carnage that is left over as two couples get together to discuss their sons’ recent altercation. It’s a play. Not just based on a play, but I’m pretty sure it is the play, word-for-word, scene-for-scene. But make that just one scene. One room, one afternoon, four characters. What makes it even more unique, is that it’s a comedy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a comedy this simplistic in its setting.		2011 Directed by: Roman Polanski Screenplay by: Yasmina Reza and Roman Polanski Starring: Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz
Jodie Foster plays Penelope, she’s the passive-aggressive wife and mother; her husband is played John C. Reilly and he just wants to make nice; their son was the victim. Kate Winslet’s Nancy also just wants to make nice; her husband is played by Christoph Waltz and he’s the aggressive-aggressive one; their son was the abuser. I know what you’re thinking. Is it really that easy to declare one 11 year-old boy the victim and the other the abuser? Aren’t they both somewhat to blame for whatever occurred? Well, you try telling that to Foster’s Penelope. After the 1 hour and 20 minute straight verbal battle, I am staying clear. “Carnage” is funny because we know what each character is really thinking under their sincere, or false-sincere, passive cover. Eventually, once a bottle of scotch gets consumed, they admit to their feelings, and surprisingly, it still remains funny. That is where the brilliance of the writing comes in. You could apply the old adage, “it’s funny because it’s true.” But there is something to these movies about the real human and family relations accurately displayed beneath a comedy banner. Being a comedy, “Carnage” fared well enough getting Golden Globe nominations, but I am a little miffed at the lack of screenplay nominations. Then again, that’s what happens when it is written and directed by Roman Polanski. I don’t blame Hollywood for not always wanting to reward him. If you don’t want to award him either, then find the play version “Le Dieu du carnage”. I’m sure it’s just as good.

Current Status:

"Carnage" is currently playing in a limited number of theatres.

Another Earth: Movie Review

2012-01-29T15:33:00.003-05:00

College know-it-all hippies talking about life, on Earth, man.

Imagine if there was another Earth, man, then there would be, like, another you, man. So you just have to live, man, because, like, nothing else matters. According to South Park (and they are right) there are three types of hippies: the giggling stoners (usually harmless hippies found in the attic); the drum-circle hippies (the annoying ones found in the backyard); and then the worst kind of all, the college know-it-all hippies.		2011 Directed by: Mike Cahill Screenplay by: Brit Marling and Mike Cahill Starring: Brit Marling and William Mapother
“Another Earth” is written by, for and about college know-it-all hippies. They philosophize about what this appearance of another Earth means, about their life on this Earth versus that Earth, and about how to get to that Earth. Apparently this isn’t just another planet but a replica of our Earth and everything on it. How it was discovered isn’t important. What is important is how it affects the meaning of life as we know it. That assumes we know what the meaning of life is. At least college know-it-all hippies know what it is. I do like genre-pushing films and I like the fact that this is a science fiction film without aliens and without space ship crashes. The filmmakers worked out how to tackle the idea with a really low budget. Unfortunately it resulted in college know-it-all hippies philosophizing about life with poorly written dialogue. I was much more impressed with “Moon” (2009) a low-budget science fiction film that focuses on the internal struggles in a character study. “Another Earth” only focuses on college know-it-all hippies and since they really don’t have much substance or value to bring to our Earth, they have nothing to save another Earth.

Current Status:

"Another Earth" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Dirty Girl: Movie Review

2012-01-17T18:17:00.003-05:00

Embracing the dirty girl attitude.

I liked “Dirty Girl” because it was unabashedly fun. It was pro-gay rights, pro-female independence, and anti-religious persecution without it being about any of that. On the surface it was an ‘80s throwback with the teen kids embracing the “anything goes” attitude while their parents clung to their conservative values. Pack a suitcase, pop in a mixed tape and run away.		2010 Directed by: Abe Sylvia Screenplay by: Abe Sylvia Starring: Juno Temple
Juno Temple stars as the titular dirty girl, Danielle. She assumed the role of the rebellious daughter and the inappropriate student who relished any opportunity to be the sex symbol. The whole-heartedness with which Temple became Danielle not only made this type of person acceptable but empathetic too. This isn’t to say that the film was perfect. One of the big drawbacks was that although the lead character did evolve, she did so with incongruent leaps. My other issue was that whenever Danielle and her companion Clarke had to stop and sing, the film stopped too. That could be on purpose though since they do seem to be trying to sell the soundtrack just as much as the movie itself. It’s the movie itself, though, that I liked. It was the passion that all of the characters had for life that just danced off the screen. The societal lessons that important movies try to teach and which we all probably already know, are just silly, feel-good bonuses here since they came up with new, more realistic, and more relatable endings. Wait for Clarke’s reaction to his final circumstances if at any point you fear the monotonous drone of melodrama. “Dirty Girl” does bring to mind similar better movies which walked parallel paths, most notably “Jolene”. And although after watching this, I immediately came home and bought the latter, it should still be able to find its place among accepting fans. It moves along at a quick pace, keeping the lead characters delightful even when they're depressed, and keeping the tone light even when the supporting characters commit some pretty heinous acts. I’ve never had a problem enjoying those types of conflicting scenes, but it does account for the movie’s poor reception. Keep in mind that this is writer and director Abe Sylvia’s first film and that the archetypal characters can actually belong to any decade then you should have no problem enjoying, and secretly wanting to be, the dirty girl.

Current Status:

"Dirty Girl" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Bellflower: Movie Review

2012-01-16T16:05:00.001-05:00

Guys being guys and girls being psychotic.

“Bellflower” opens and continues with guys being guys. They have no regard to how they live, they just get drunk and build flame-throwers. They are similar, I’m assuming, to how writer, director and star Evan Glodell behaves with his male friends. If it can blow-up, Aiden and Woodrow will find a way to make it blow-up. And then Woodrow meets a girl and falls in love.		2011 Directed by: Evan Glodell Screenplay by: Evan Glodell Starring: Tyler Dawson and Evan Glodell
The romance element is played out quickly. Because, as I said, the film is about guys being guys. It’s also about girls being psychotic. It’s hard to stay in love with that explosive mix going on. Seeing as they will throw gasoline on any fire that’s burning, the flames just leap up higher and engulf everyone and everything. Not being a guy myself, I didn’t connect with Aiden and Woodrow in the beginning, although I certainly have met guys like them. The girls, Milly and Courtney, are way more destructive than any girls will admit to being. The characters, the acting, and the dialogue are the weaker elements to the film, but the story that they insist they are telling is just so intriguing you won’t want to turn this off. As the poster suggests, and their past-times, “Bellflower” gets very violent. But the interesting thing is that it’s not just mindless violence. The characters are just so calamitous, that they have their reasons for everything that burns, explodes, crashes or dies. It is dark and devastating, and unfortunately, a little more empty than it should have been.

Current Status:

"Bellflower" is currently available as a new release DVD, Blu-ray and video on demand.

Shame: Movie Review

2012-01-09T17:20:00.002-05:00

Shameful characters learning about themselves and each other.

There’s a lot to be ashamed of in “Shame”. But are the characters actually ashamed of their actions? That’s an interesting question which the film attempts to answer. Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a sex addict; Sissy (Carey Mulligan) is Brandon’s wayward sister and is a needy drama queen; David (James Badge Dale) is Brandon’s boss and is an offensive womanizer. These aren’t easy characters to like or even necessarily care about, but they certainly are compelling.		2011 Directed by: Steve McQueen Screenplay by: Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen Starring: Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan
Brandon is introduced to us as a very cold person. He does what he wants despite how taboo his hobbies are. We have been taught that what he does is very inappropriate. But is it really wrong of him to live for himself and only for himself? If the film was as perfect as I would have liked it to be, the answer would be no. Problem is, he doesn’t live only for himself. He downloads porn at work and at least we can see the concern on his face when his computer gets shipped off to the IT department. And then his sister, Sissy, enters the picture. A lot of people have praised Michael Fassbender’s performance, and rightly so as he subtly draws your attention to the varied nuances of his modern and successful and yet troubled character. Surprisingly, not as many people have been talking about Carey Mulligan’s performance. She tore me apart with the power she gave to Sissy’s fickle feelings. Quickly, and sometimes quietly, she turned the film into a story about a younger sister’s need for an older brother rather than the struggles of a sex addict. Of course “Shame” is still a character study. And it really does proceed as you would expect character studies to go: slowly, thoughtfully and quietly (except for when Sissy is breaking up with and simultaneously declaring her love for her current boyfriend on the phone). It’s dark and gritty and depressing but there’s a redemptive quality to the film at the end which somehow makes it a little uplifting.

Current Status:

"Shame" is currently playing in a limited number of theatres.

The 20 Best Lesser-known Movies from 2011

2012-01-02T16:10:00.001-05:00

The best indies and a few somewhat larger indies which had their first major release in 2011. The possible notable exclusions include "Zonad" (at number 21) the almost unseen, zany alien follow-up to the beloved "Once"; and "Bellflower" a fairly impressive low-budget story of guys being guys and girls being crazy, or we can just call it psychotic. It doesn't make the list because I don't think I could handle watching it again, but I will have a review for it coming soon.

Now on to the list of the best lesser-known movies from the year. If you haven't seen them yet, you should.

1. Ceremony
Flawed characters, that seem to have come right out of The Great Gatsby, humourously and meaningfully touch on what it means to fall in love and grow up.
-> See my full review of Ceremony

2. Daydream Nation
Originality from combining coming-of-age drama with a thriller. Completely creative, well written and intriguing.
-> See my full review of Daydream Nation

3. Jolene
Such a captivating character, played by soon-to-be-a-star (at the time, and certifiable star now) Jessica Chastain, in an oddly alluring film.
-> See my full review of Jolene

4. Beautiful Boy
An extraordinary situation that people like us could never conceive of, and yet this film puts normal people in that uncomfortable place and elicits our sympathy and understanding.
-> See my full review of Beautiful Boy

5. Howl
Howl is literally poetry on film. It is a fascinating, educational and artistic tale of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" and about Ginsberg himself.
-> See my full review of Howl

6. Little Fish, Strange Pond (AKA: Frenemy)
Matthew Modine and Callum Blue are existential, callous criminal philosophers in this superbly written, darkly comic character study.
-> See my full review of Little Fish, Strange Pond

7. HappyThankYouMorePlease
Written and directed by Josh Radnor of "How I Met Your Mother" fame, it is a clever, trendy, upbeat story of love and life.
-> See my full review of HappyThankYouMorePlease

8. Peep World
The best of the dysfunctional family dramedies because it's pure comedy with biting, insightful, brilliant humour.
-> See my full review of Peep World

9. The Waterhole
Well written, clever and overall fantastic dialogue in this smart and funny drama about leaving the bar and entering life.
-> See my full review of The Waterhole

10. That's What I Am
A coming-of-age drama based on a true story. With real heart and meaning, it's very beautiful and inspiring.
-> See my full review of That's What I Am

11. Dear Lemon Lima
Creates the new genre of smart, quirky girl teen comedy. Note that we have a female heroine and she's smart and ambitious just like the film is.
-> See my full review of Dear Lemon Lima

12. The Bang Bang Club
Four young photographers in South Africa are torn between the good of documenting the violence versus actually doing something about it.
-> See my full review of The Bang Bang Club

13. Miss Nobody
Turns a romantic comedy into a light-hearted dark crime comedy about murder.
-> See my full review of Miss Nobody

14. The Entitled
A thriller with intelligent twists and turns and brilliant relationship dynamics among the under-privileged and over-privileged.
-> See my full review of The Entitled

15. Little White Lies
A multi-relationship tragedy-comedy (read: drama) by Guillaume Canet. He could be a young, French Woody Allen as he has mastered how to write fully developed characters.
-> See my full review of Little White Lies

16. The Freebie
A deep, raw, introspective examination of a relationship. It's about a free night off from marriage but without any of the juvenile comedy.
-> See my full review of The Freebie

17. The Oxford Murders
An old-fashioned murder mystery set in the math department at Oxford University. A fairly clever film which manages to use actual math in solving murders.
-> See my full review of The Oxford Murders

18. Bitter/Sweet
A simple and sweet romantic comedy merging the U.S. and Thai cultures, and for the most part, leaving out all the Hollywood annoyances.
-> See my full revew of Bitter/Sweet

19. Flypaper
A crime comedy with unique characters and lots of comedic chaos in the many twists and turns which remove it far from reality.
-> See my full review of Flypaper

20. Midsummer Madness
A beautifully shot film set in Latvia. It's a screwball comedy with a myriad of characters all doing weirder and weirder things.
-> See my full review of Midsummer Madness

The 30 Best Movies from 2011

2012-01-01T15:14:00.001-05:00

The best movies which had their first major release in 2011. That's why movies like Blue Valentine and Rabbit Hole are still considered here, but other late 2010 releases (like really late, as in March 2011 releases) like Another Year just don't seem to quite hold up.

Likely to be the biggest bone of contention is the exclusion of the Tree of Life. I gave it 9 stars knowing it to be a very impressive film and fully believing that I liked it when I walked out of the theatre and yet every time I think back to it, I think of it with hatred. I have no idea what to think of it. While I don't mean to imply that Horrible Bosses is a better movie in all aspects, the Tree of Life does fall somewhere between number 12 and number 120, and I don't know where.

Anyways, on to the list, and be sure to check out the Best 20 Lesser-known Movies from 2011 (available January 2, 2012).

1. Midnight in Paris
Bringing the literature from the 1920s to life with the best mix of magic, intelligence, comedy and romance. This is easily one of the best movies I have ever seen.
-> See my full review of Midnight in Paris

2. I Love You Phillip Morris
Driven by characters whom we know better than they know themselves, gives this romantic, crime comedy brilliant character arcs that you rarely get to see.
-> See my full review of I Love You Phillip Morris

3. J. Edgar
A seamless telling of a biographical story of the leader of the FBI and a deeply-touching love story of a closeted gay man.
-> See my full review of J. Edgar

4. The Conspirator
The trial of Mary Surrat which isn't about guilt or innocence but the trial itself. The production is impeccable and it's also James McAvoy's best performance of his career.
-> See my full review of The Conspirator

5. Moneyball
A baseball movie in which people become numbers and become people again. Writer Aaron Sorkin has successfully changed the sports genre.
-> See my full review of Moneyball

6. Melancholia
It's the end of the world as you have never known it before. On a woman's wedding day and on the last day of the world, it is mostly a day of misery for these unique characters, and yet I felt joy for having witnessed such a brilliant film.
-> See my full review of Melancholia

7. The Artist
The golden age of Hollywood in all of its black and white and silent glory exemplifying the human condition of needing love and acceptance and sometimes above fame.
-> See my full review of The Artist

8. Rabbit Hole
A film about a grieving married suburban couple becomes so much more with its intelligent subtexts of religion versus science.
-> See my full review of Rabbit Hole

9. Certified Copy
A relationship drama that turns into a mystery about what their relationship actually is but all the while giving a very meaningful discussion on what is art.
-> See my full review of Certified Copy

10. Ceremony
Flawed characters that seem to have come right out of The Great Gatsby humourously and meaningfully touch on what it means to fall in love and grow up.
-> See my full review of Ceremony

11. Daydream Nation
Originality from combining coming-of-age drama with a thriller. Completely creative, well written and intriguing.
-> See my full review of Daydream Nation

12. Hanna
An action thriller which mixes action with characters and we get something that is very inventive and unique.
-> See my full review of Hanna

13. Jolene
Such a captivating character, played by soon-to-be-a-star (at the time, and certifiable star now) Jessica Chastain, in an oddly alluring film.
-> See my full review of Jolene

14. Red State
A horror movie which is actually scary. Writer and director Kevin Smith has broken many standards of filmmaking and it turns out he has something important to say.
-> See my full review of Red State

15. Take Shelter
It's time to face the end of the world again; this time from within the mind of Michael Shannon. It takes the best possible direction and delivers us to the type of ending we've always wanted.
-> See my full review of Take Shelter

16. Beginners
A relationship drama maintaining remarkably good structure as we shift in time from one relationship to another with something to say about all of them.
-> See my full review of Beginners

17. Drive
Nothing like the ads depicted it, Drive is actually a slow, thoughtful, powerful absorbing crime drama disguised as a character study.
-> See my full review of Drive

18. The Ides of March
Political intrigue that is slow to come to a boil and really only does so within the dichotomy of the young idealist portrayed by Ryan Gosling.
-> See my full review of The Ides of March

19. The Descendants
It's the simple warmth, humour, and understanding that keeps The Descendants on an almost straight line that doesn't venture into prosaic territory.
-> See my full review of The Descendants

20. Martha Marcy May Marlene
Martha and Marcy May are caught somewhere between truth and insanity in this intriguing dramatic thriller turned character study.
-> See my full review of Martha Marcy May Marlene

21. Meek's Cutoff
The need for water is all that this is about, on the surface. However, it is also about the fight of feminism, racism, inequality and all the evils that those ills can cause.
-> See my full review of Meek's Cutoff

22. Beautiful Boy
An extraordinary situation that people like us could never conceive of, and yet this film puts normal people in that uncomfortable place and elicits our sympathy and understanding.
-> See my full review of Beautiful Boy

23. Somewhere
Very minimal in its telling of a character study about an empty actor but very engrossing and consuming. Stephen Dorff subtly matured and I was intrigued by the direction it took me.
-> See my full review of Somewhere

24. Young Adult
A darkly realistic and minimally funny dramedy about the evils of one, in particular, thirty-something young adult. Glimmers of brilliance shine in place of where the comedy is supposed to be.
-> See my full review of Young Adult

25. My Week with Marilyn
Michelle Williams plays Marilyn Monroe as she is a starlet wanting to become a great actress and remains a starlet.
-> See my full review of My Week with Marilyn

26. Blue Valentine
A tragically real tale of intimate romance that isn't so much about love, but life. Although I think the structure isn't perfect, the characters and actors are completely alluring.
-> See my full review of Blue Valentine

27. The Lincoln Lawyer
Entertaining but also well thought-out with intelligent conflicts of guilt versus innocence. It's a legal drama with many twists to the story and interesting characters.
-> See my full review of The Lincoln Lawyer

28. Howl
Howl is literally poetry on film. It is a fascinating, educational and artistic tale of Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" and about Ginsberg himself.
-> See my full review of Howl

29. Horrible Bosses
A profanely hilarious adventure of three likable guys doing a seemingly expected act where reality is nowhere to be found.
-> See my full review of Horrible Bosses

30. Little Fish, Strange Pond (AKA: Frenemy)
Matthew Modine and Callum Blue are existential, callous criminal philosophers in this superbly written, darkly comic character study.
-> See my full review of Little Fish, Strange Pond

Flypaper: Movie Review

2011-12-29T14:01:00.008-05:00

A crime comedy that's unique and messy and nowhere near realistic.

There comes a time in every criminal's life when he has to make sacrifices. "Flypaper" takes place in a bank where two criminal groups have simultaneously arrived to rob the place. But this is not a crime drama; it's a dark comedy revolving around some very unlikely characters. Namely, Tripp (Patrick Dempsey), an autistic hero of sorts who is super-observant but unable to behave appropriately.		2011 Directed by: Rob Minkoff Screenplay by: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore Starring: Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd
Tripp enters the bank at closing time but calculating the movements of everyone around him he guesses what is about to occur and jumps over the counter to save the pretty teller (Ashley Judd). In the scramble that ensues, there is one dead body, a room full of huddled bank employees-turned-hostages, and then Tripp, standing there, trying to negotiate a peace accord. It should be made very clear at this point that this is a comedy and is far from realistic. The film really does seem like it was trying to be a funny, comedic, chaotic mess. And that's exactly what it is. The characterizations, although unique in some cases, are messy. The many twists and turns, perhaps a half-dozen too many, are messy. But is it really necessary to fault a film when it accomplishes exactly what it set out to do? What "Flypaper" really accomplishes is a low-budget indie version of "Ocean's Eleven" but with a "who done it" mystery angle. Sometimes slapstick, frequently zany, but also sometimes clever, it's comedy first, crime second, and realism nowhere to be found.

Current Status:

"Flypaper" is currently available as a new release DVD.

List Rankings:

Ranks #19 on The 20 Best Lesser-known Movies from 2011.

Young Adult: Movie Review

2011-12-22T20:23:00.002-05:00

An almost brilliant look at the world of a darkly troubled young adult.

“Young Adult” takes place in that thirty-something world where young college student ready to take over the world meets experienced cynic (see my review of “The Ides of March”). Both halves exist in troubled Mavis (Charlize Theron) and not sure what to do about it she sets her sights on her high school flame (Patrick Wilson) who is now married with a newborn.		2011 Directed by: Jason Reitman Screenplay by: Diablo Cody Starring: Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt
It has all the makings of a brilliant dark comedy. As comedic as it’s supposed to be, it’s not particularly funny, often settling for realism instead of exaggerated laughs. And as anti-heroic as our protagonist is, it’s not very dark, often settling for traces of optimism. The first problem I will chalk up to the distributors not knowing how to market the film, which does seem to be a trend these days. The second point I will give to the credit of writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman. Even with all my reservations stemming from the overrated “Juno”, I saw glimmers of brilliance in “Young Adult”. Although perhaps I could take credit for that myself. My main issues with their earlier film (see my review of “Juno”) are that having a character listening to indie music does not automatically make them a complete character, and that the dialogue was not smart, nor realistic. Here, those two points have been corrected and even polished a bit. Mavis is a ghost writer for a once-popular young adult “Gossip Girl”-like series, and yet even with that set-up, Cody managed to remain staid and kept the dialogue level, never once venturing into unrealistic or annoying territory. Mavis does of course listen to indie music, but here it was done as a rather ingenious character point. On the road to winning back her ex, she pops in a mixed tape that he had once made for her and she chooses to listen to one song over and over again. When that same song is heard later on, just the look on Mavis’s face tells us everything we need to know as she ponders turning over a new leaf in her life. Perhaps the best part of the film is the strong, quiet, dramatic performance by Patton Oswalt. He thinks breaking up a marriage is a bad idea, and although he knows that he has problems in his life that he isn’t quite ready to face himself, he’s still trying to get Mavis to face hers. A point which so few people make, but was made here with his character was another glimmer of brilliance. Back in high school, he was not popular and a bunch of jocks beat him up and left the lower half of his body in shambles. But he’s gay, so this was a hate crime and he had the support and sympathy of the entire nation. That is until they discovered that he wasn’t gay, so this wasn’t actually a hate crime, and he was just some fat loser who got what he deserved. “Young Adult” is kind of like a coming-of-story for young adults, except it’s told from the point of view an ill-prepared, immature adult who only knows selfishness and knows no bounds to her inappropriateness. She may not be wholly relatable or empathetic but she has enough of both qualities to keep you watching. It can leave you feeling a little empty, but I do think that is the point.

Current Status:

"Young Adult" will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on March 13, 2012.

Margin Call: Movie Review

2011-12-19T20:45:00.002-05:00

The buying and selling of protagonists and antagonists in a profanely straight film.

Set during the recent financial crisis, “Margin Call” does something that most of these sobering dramas do not. It’s not about the characters reactions but their expected actions and takes place primarily in board rooms. A large number of rich and even richer guys work for a financial company that buys and sells. Buys and sells what is blurry, likely on purpose.		2011 Directed by: J.C. Chandor Screenplay by: J.C. Chandor Starring: Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey and Paul Bettany
The only place where the movie really falters is when the top executives (the even richer guys) ask the junior analysts (the rich guys) to speak in basic English. That is supposed to be for the benefit of the audience, but all that I got out of it was that the problem is their stocks are now value-less and the stock market is going to crash. Because the option of not making money isn’t an option. It starts with the firing of many personnel. The one of significance is Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci) who was working on something that he thinks might be a problem. The firm doesn’t care but the junior guys, namely Peter (Zachary Quinto), solves the problem and it is indeed a problem since life and the financial world will basically end. The place where “Margin Call” makes the best move is when Peter goes straight to his boss with the problem. Wouldn’t it be more dramatic if he kept it to himself and tried to cover up tracks and create a bigger problem? Every other movie seems to think so. But this one continues with the right chain and Peter’s boss goes to his boss who goes to his boss who goes to the boss, and before we know it we’re watching a movie that takes place in one single day, in one room, with no deliberate cover-ups and the only people who are going to lose big are the nameless, faceless individuals out in the real world, not our protagonists or antagonists. “Margin Call” scored well with Independent Spirit Award nominations; deservedly so for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay. The dialogue has liberal use of a certain “F” word, but when they are able to form full sentences with one word and make it both funny and character-enriching that’s the type of feat that deserves an award. There are too many actors to start singling them all out but that last accomplishment goes to Simon Baker (one of the even richer guys). Along with the profanity-ridden script, the movie is able to take only rich guys and even richer guys into people who aren’t quite protagonists or antagonists but make you care for them anyways.

Current Status:

"Margin Call" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Hugo: Movie Review

2011-12-04T12:12:00.002-05:00

An orphan goes on an adventure, and we discover the magic of filmmaking.

“Hugo” has Martin Scorsese master the children’s adventure movie genre. Scorsese’s 2010 hit was “Shutter Island” where he mastered the suspense thriller by paying attention to every detail in the film. Here, the camera is in the walls of a 1930s train station in Paris where we see the inner workings of clocks, an automaton, and an orphan boy looking for a key. It’s also in 3D and is about the history of filmmaking.		2011 Directed by: Martin Scorsese Screenplay by: John Logan Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz and Ben Kingsley
Visually, this is a masterpiece. Easily the best 3D movie released in recent memory, if not of all time. There is seamless merging between computer-generated graphics and real sets. Conceptually, this is very impressive. As Hugo is on one of his adventures, he starts finding connections to old films. These are not just fictional films that help the story along. Scorsese is actually telling us the history of filmmaking and uses the real footage of important films. He even rendered these real films in 3D. I don’t know how he does it. Story wise, “Hugo” suffered. It meandered a lot, never quite deciding which little adventure to start, or solve, or finish. A trick that I have learned in screenwriting is to use a time frame to set the story in, a ticking clock as some might say. Ironically, for a film that had more actual ticking clocks than any other, they didn’t give their story one. One has to question if this was really meant to be a children’s movie. The over two-hour run time sent the younger kids crying into the arms of their mothers as exhaustion set in. And as the story moved away from an orphan boy on an adventure to the history of filmmaking, it became quite dry for the older kids. I found Hugo, our hero, to be a snotty kid who didn’t even want to tell us what he was up to in the beginning, but at least the kids liked him. And I, at least, had the history of filmmaking to amuse me immensely. I don’t think “Hugo” was just supposed to be the history of filmmaking, but the magic of it. For those of us who love films, it certainly was magical. Hugo, the young boy, was removed from discovering the magic because his little adventure was mostly solved by the time we got into it. Unfortunately, I think this removes the kids in the audience from discovering the magic of it. But the kids can have fun watching a robot while the adults are educated — perhaps that is what makes “Hugo” so special. Conveniently, both “Hugo” and The Artist” are supposed to be the big winners of awards season this year, both were released the same month, and both have something to say about movies. After you watch “Hugo” and are introduced to the earliest films of the Lumière brothers and Georges Méliès, watch “The Artist” it picks up where “Hugo” left off and introduces us to stars of silent films, the golden age of Hollywood.

Current Status:

"Hugo" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

The Artist: Movie Review

2011-12-02T21:23:00.001-05:00

The golden hue of black and white silence and old-school charm.

“The Artist” is an artist’s film; a tribute to the golden age of movies. In 1927, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent film star at the height of success. When the studios turn their attention to talkies, George isn’t ready to make the transition. He continues to watch the world in black & white and listen in silence.		2011 Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius Screenplay by: Michel Hazanavicius Starring: Jean Dujardin
If you haven’t realized it yet, “The Artist” is a silent, black and white film, and it’s great. Our hero, George Valentin, was created in the vain of the swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. He is funny, charming, charismatic; he can do comedies, dramas, action-adventures; he has a wife, adoring fans, and a dog. The dog is star number 2, capable of playing dead or dancing in step with George. An adoring fan finds herself absorbing the spotlight after a chance meeting with George. Not only can she keep up with him, but the world is ready to hear the voice of Ms. Peppy Miller. She is not named “Peppy” by accident. We have a delightful story of love; love of success, love of movies, and love between George and Peppy. Dujardin has a wonderful comedic touch to everything he does in this movie that the simple story line is helped along with a healthy dose of comedy. He turns serious when The Great Depression hits, but “The Artist” keeps chugging along with its original, uplifting score, inventive scenes, and a finale that brings us into the future.

Current Status:

"The Artist" is currently playing in a limited number of theatres.

The Descendants: Movie Review

2011-11-30T17:43:00.003-05:00

Scaling the Hawaiian country-side with tears and laughter.

"The Descendants" is set in Hawaii but Matt King (George Clooney) and his family are not on vacation. Far from it. King is actually in a line descended down from an old Hawaiian princess and has inherited a wealth of land. That's only the secondary plot. The primary plot is that his wife is in a coma and he has to learn how to be a parent to his two unruly daughters. Cue the laugh track.		2011 Directed by: Alexander Payne Screenplay by: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash Starring: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller
Somehow, appropriately, it is very funny. In a feel-good sort of way, not in a slapstick kind of way. Also surprisingly, and contrary to popular belief, it does have a direction and aim. The end point is pretty vague, our hero just has to find a way to live life the best he can. But to get to that end, it doesn't actually meander. Matt King has specific obstacles which he has to overcome. Namely, retrieving his 17 year-old daughter from boarding school, convincing his 10 year-old daughter to not wear her older sister's underwear, and most importantly, finding and confronting the real estate agent that was having an affair with his wife. George Clooney looks like himself but a little more down-to-Earth and a little more down-trodden than usual. He makes you care for him and the laughs and bitter-sweet tears come easily. Just as appealing was Shailene Woodley as his 17 year-old daughter. She was the snarky, rebellious teenager, but with a warmth and understanding that made you realize it came from love and not born from Hollywood cliché. Alexander Payne has written, directed and produced a number of excellent films beginning with "Citizen Ruth" (1996) and "Election" (1999), and continuing here, 'The Descendants" is a well written, well directed and well made film. I could end this review with the prosaic line that you will find tears and laughter on the way to meeting 'The Descendants"; however, this really isn't a prosaic film even if it does seem like one.

Current Status:

"The Descendants" is currently playing in a limited number of theatres.

Sarah's Key: Movie Review

2011-11-28T22:22:00.001-05:00

The fascinating story of Sarah and the routine story of Julia.

"Sarah's Key" is Sarah's story. Sarah (Mélusine Mayance) is a young Jewish girl living in Paris in 1942. Her story is an interesting and heart-wrenching one. But Sarah's story isn't told by Sarah. Julia (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a modern-day American journalist, and we also get her story as she uncovers Sarah's story. Julia, unfortunately, doesn't have a particularly good story, at least not compared to Sarah's. She has to adapt to a new apartment in Paris and gets into a fight with her husband, the usual fodder for current dramas.		2011 Directed by: Gilles Paquet-Brenner Screenplay by: Gilles Paquet-Brenner and Serge Joncour Based on the novel by Tatiana De Rosnay Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas and Mélusine Mayance
The majority of the first half of the film is telling us Sarah's story, or at least the crucial parts to the first half of Sarah's life. Sarah and her family were arrested in their home and sent to concentration camps. However, young Sarah (around 8 years old, or so) wanted to save her younger brother, so she locked him in the closet and told him to wait for her to come back and get him. Sarah has the titular key. As you can guess, that story is awfully tragic, with lots of deaths included. Some were meaningful others just pointless. Unless, of course, the point was to see how much the audience could cry. I suspect that was part of their plan. A main part of the film, and what everyone seems to be divided about, is that the rest of Sarah's story gets told in present time. We are removed from the horrid events of the war and just watch Julia uncover the remaining the mystery. As I said before, Julia's story isn't nearly as interesting, so the good parts of the film seem to be over. However, it is a relief, especially to the tear-ducts in your eyes, to be removed from the painful past. "Sarah's Key" has received a number of complaints, including from me, and that's mostly because what it does well, it does really well, but what it does not-so-well, is very noticeable. I was captivated by the young Sarah and her story. Is it a mystery? Not as much as the film implies, but it certainly is dramatic.

Current Status:

"Sarah's Key" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Take Shelter: Movie Review

2011-11-27T19:53:00.003-05:00

Shelter in the face of insanity versus reality.

Curtis (Michael Shannon) is having bad dreams and hallucinations. He’s likely just going crazy, but if he is in fact having visions of the future end of the world, then he might as well “Take Shelter”. With Curtis’s dreams turning into nightmares turning into a possible reality, he needs to keep himself safe and his wife (Jessica Chastain) and their young, deaf daughter.		2011 Directed by: Jeff Nichols Screenplay by: Jeff Nichols Starring: Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain
Curtis seems to falling under the influence of a slowly absorbing mental illness. He does try to diagnose himself and cure it, but instead of fighting it, he does whatever “it” tells him to. The film is a powerful, slowly absorbing piece of extreme reactions to an unidentified source. I fell into this trance where I couldn’t wait to see what the next scene would bring, even though it would rarely be any more revealing than the previous one. The cleverness of “Take Shelter” is that it takes paths that you wouldn’t quite expect, unless, of course, you’re trying to figure out the most brilliant possible ending and directions it can take. For those of us in love with this creative dramatic thriller genre, it accomplishes what we’ve always wanted. Here, Michael Shannon has taken on another role where he plays the insane one, but where he also might be the one who can really see what’s going on in the world. But it’s a subtle crazy, with more quiet fear rather than violence. It’s a powerful role, and “Take Shelter” is a powerful film that draws you in and keeps you sheltered as it and the world around burns new avenues.

Current Status:

"Take Shelter" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

My Week with Marilyn: Movie Review

2011-11-26T22:04:00.001-05:00

An affair with Marilyn Monroe, but who is she?

“My Week with Marilyn” is the week-long affair with Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) for young film enthusiast Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne). It’s also a week from hell for great actor Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) as he tries to make a movie with Ms. Marilyn Monroe. It’s also a week-long glimpse into the beautiful / tragic life of the starlet-turned-starlet.		2011 Directed by: Simon Curtis Screenplay by: Adrian Hodges Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne and Kenneth Branagh
Everybody wants to be Marilyn Monroe. Michelle Williams is Marilyn Monroe and she’s here to tell us that it isn’t all that easy. But what’s more poetic is that she isn’t here to make us feel sorry for the star, but just to show us that she wasn’t always very happy. And we don’t know whose fault that is. There are some clever lines that let us know the issues that Marilyn is trying to work out within herself. As Colin has started to meet the real Marilyn he tells her why the film shoot with Olivier is so hard. “It’s agony because he’s a great actor who wants to be a film star, and you’re a film star who wants to be a great actress. This film won’t help either of you.” Marilyn never became the great actress that she wanted to be. Later on when Marilyn is looking at a royal doll house, she remarks, “Little girls shouldn’t be told how pretty they are. They should grow up knowing how much their mother loves them.” I think we can all guess which one adjective was repeated to Marilyn as a little girl. Not knowing the details of her life growing up, the movie did a great job of explaining what it was like for her without telling us or even showing us. This movie is based on the journals of young Colin Clark but I wish it had more of a factual basis than just the words of a wannabe filmmaker. Recently, I’ve begun to wonder if Marilyn Monroe’s death really was suicide or if that was just the simplest term for the pathologist at the time. This film gives no doubt that a suicidal drug overdose due to depression was in her near future. Shot with the beauty and passion that Marilyn had, “My Week with Marilyn” and the principal actors (namely Williams, Branagh, Redmayne and Dominic Cooper) captured the allure and complex essence of Marilyn Monroe.

Current Status:

"My Week with Marilyn" is currently playing in a limited number of theatres.

Melancholia: Movie Review

2011-11-25T22:04:00.002-05:00

Feelings of melancholia bursting through the brilliant colours of the Earth.

Justine (Kirsten Dunst) suffers from severe depression. Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) drives herself crazy with paranoia over fear of the end of the world. “Melancholia” just might prove to be the end of the world. This film just might prove to be an example of some of the best filmmaking in the world.		2011 Directed by: Lars von Trier Screenplay by: Lars von Trier Starring: Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg
It’s an end-of-the-world movie, like a disaster movie, but unlike any that has come before it. It’s not about the impending disaster but rather how two unique individuals handle it within themselves. The characters that Lars von Trier has created are fascinating creatures. Perhaps a little more extreme than most people you would meet but they are whole in their response to life. Justine can’t seem to find a way to be happy even though it’s her wedding day. Claire is extremely anxious about a planet that is in a crash course with the Earth. They are sisters and the dichotomy between them is enormous but provides such an interesting platform for us to view the end of the world from. The third character was Claire’s husband, Justine’s brother-in-law, John (Keifer Sutherland). He’s supposed to be the sane one. He’s rich and successful and just has to find a way to manage the insane women in his life. I thought I had a handle on him, but turns out that I didn’t, just as he may not really have a handle on things himself. I would say that the film is much more about the characters than the story. But, it’s also about the visual presentation. The colours, like the poster with a lost Kirsten Dunst standing in her wedding dress in a background of green, are brilliant and striking. The opening shots of the film are of the sisters on the final day. They are very bizarre representations of the sisters and their actions, but in the end, they leave us with visual cues of what they were feeling. The film is about melancholia, in all of its forms, and with some simple but effective metaphors. I never felt too sad for the sisters, but perhaps I connected more with John and I just wanted to find a way to help them. That feeling, whether it’s a form of melancholia or not, will stay with you.

Current Status:

"Melancholia" will be available on DVD and Blu-ray March 13, 2012.

Father of Invention: Movie Review

2011-11-24T21:48:00.000-05:00

Instead of a comedy about an inventor, we get a dramedy about a father.

“Father of Invention” stars Kevin Spacey as a fabricator, an infomercial king, who combines existing products into new ones. Problem is he was in jail, now he has lost his empire, and lost his family. The key word in the title is father. The entire film is him trying to reconnect with his daughter (Camilla Belle).		2010 (with 2011 DVD release) Directed by: Trent Cooper Screenplay by: Jonathan D. Krane and Trent Cooper Starring: Kevin Spacey and Camilla Belle
Spacey has frequently played fathers trying to reconnect with their daughter, the prime example being “American Beauty” (1999). Not that one is likely to confuse the two films, but there’s an underlying similarity about the pursuit of success and the pursuit of family. That’s what “Father of Invention” is about but it doesn’t actually explore those issues. It’s also supposed to be a comedy, but because it was just him and his daughter there was nothing clever that catches you off-guard to make you laugh. The daughter (whom, by the way, I have already forgotten her name) lives with two roommates. One is in love with Kevin Spacey (whom I have also forgotten his character’s name) and the other is a lesbian. There was no slow reveal for any of this. Those facts were just presented as if they create whole characters. The conflict which this builds to isn’t surprising (it’s part of the mandate for dysfunctional family dramedies) or even interesting since we never did care for the characters in the first place. “Father of Invention” certainly didn’t invent anything and there’s nothing special about the daughter or the father.

Current Status:

"Father of Invention" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Like Crazy: Movie Review

2011-11-20T12:22:00.003-05:00

A story of love, depending on what love really is.

Anna (Felicity Jones) and Jacob (Anton Yelchin) are in love with each like crazy. Hence the title, “Like Crazy”. They are in, or want to be in, a grown-up relationship — one where they act like adults and are just a part of each other’s lives. But they met each other at college and one stupid idea forces them to make grown-up decisions that will affect the rest of their lives quicker than they would have liked.		2011 Directed by: Drake Doremus Screenplay by: Drake Doremus and Ben York Jones Starring: Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin
“Like Crazy” is just about their relationship. We watch as they fall in love, grow apart, find a middle road, and then try and pick an extreme. Anna is a writer and Jacob is a furniture constructor. But their lives are just so inconsequential to the film which is the way it has to be when it is only about their relationship. The film is minimal in story, in characters, in budget, and in production. And that’s what makes it so sweet. Made for only $250,000 and edited in the director’s bedroom, it’s a story and film of passion. I found it to be very similar to “Blue Valentine” (2010), but perhaps not as impactful — at least to me. Both played to rave reviews at Sundance, last year “Blue” picked up the Grand Jury Prize nomination, this year “Crazy” got the Jury win for both director Drake Doremus and actress Felicity Jones. I first saw Felicity Jones last year in “Cemetery Junction” (2010). She played this beautifully innocent girl in a town where innocence just doesn’t really exist. In “Like Crazy” she plays a beautiful, adult-like young woman growing up in a world of love but learns that she might not know what love is after all.

Current Status:

"Like Crazy" is currently available as a new release DVD.

List Rankings:

Felicity Jones ranks #4 on The 10 Great Actors I Discovered in 2010.

Anonymous: Movie Review

2011-11-18T23:40:00.003-05:00

Problematic theory, story and characters but worthy acting and end point.

“Anonymous” is a story that accounts the theory that William Shakespeare did not write all the works credited to William Shakespeare. Instead the true author is Edward, Earl of Oxford, a nobleman of the court of Queen Elizabeth I. It is known as the Oxfordian Theory. And it is a real theory; it’s just not a good one.		2011 Directed by: Roland Emmerich Screenplay by: John Orloff Starring: Rhys Ifans
“Anonymous” is a Shakespearean story but directed by Roland Emmerich of the action-thriller genre. Not a good mix. The film is already down on two accounts. It can be hard to sit through when they make declarations like Shakespeare was illiterate and just a drunk, egotistical actor. I don’t think illiterate theatre actors actually exist. Then we get into axiomatic problems with the story and the characters. At first, Edward is presented as both a gay man and as a power-seeking man driven by the need to have others regard his success. Play writing and producing was a path he saw where he would be responsible for other’s emotions and he would be rewarded with money and respect. When we jump back in time, Edward is now a (married) ladies man jumping into bed with a young Elizabeth and every other maiden in the house. He’s also not driven by power or success but just the simple joy of writing, of expressing his inner-self. They never touched on his sexuality again and seeing as he never took authorship of his plays and secretly passed them on to others to be produced, I don’t think they ever meant to portray him as power-hungry. Surprisingly, able to arise above these fundamental character issues was Rhys Ifans playing the cryptic Edward. He was hardened when he needed to be, inviting when he needed to be, and best of all, he was almost able to convince me that he was, in fact, the true author of Shakespeare’s works. Although I disagree with the theory presented and even the point of making such a movie, they did eventually touch on the heart of the matter. We don’t celebrate the man, but rather the verses he wrote. That I do agree with, just not how they got there.

Current Status:

"Anonymous" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Terri: Movie Review

2011-11-15T17:40:00.002-05:00

Alienated characters who alienate the audience.

The tagline for “Terri” is “We’ve all been there.” Yes, we have all felt alienated at some point in our lives. But unlike Terri, most of us do not pro-actively alienate ourselves. Terri is in high school and life is difficult for him because he’s weird, over-weight and just plain unlikable. We’re supposed to feel sympathy for him, but I never liked him.		2011 Directed by: Azazel Jacobs Screenplay by: Patrick Dewitt Starring: Jacob Wysocki and John C. Reilly
He wears pajamas to school (the same ones everyday), takes joy in the demise of animals, and has no thought of altering his behaviour when kids bully him. The only thing that seems to help is when Assistant Principal Mr. Fitzgerald (John C. Reilly) takes an interest in helping him and denotes him as a good-hearted student. I like John C. Reilly and I like the idea of the principal wanting to help out the less popular kids. Fitzgerald’s tactics are unorthodox and certainly not illegal or even immoral, but in reality, they would definitely get him fired. Terri’s would-be friends were more interesting characters but the pretty and popular Heather who was written as knowing how pretty she is would be less likely to engage in low self-esteem actions. Perhaps “Terri” isn’t even trying to place itself in reality. I don’t know. For such a simple, slow-moving film, there was a number of things that I didn’t know. Some of which they didn’t tell me, others I just didn’t care enough to find out the answers for myself. If Terri doesn’t care, why should I?

Current Status:

"Terri" is currently available as a new release DVD.

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas: Movie Review

2011-11-13T19:13:00.004-05:00

Harold and Kumar make decorating a Christmas tree a wild and dangerous adventure.

I think part of the reason the first movie worked so well is because going to White Castle is, relatively, a very simple, ordinary trip. But when it’s Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) it becomes a very wild adventure. I didn’t enjoy the second one as much because escaping from Guantanamo Bay wouldn’t be an easy task for anybody. For this third movie, Harold and Kumar are back to turn a routine errand into a hazardous experience. Harold has to decorate a Christmas tree.		2011 Directed by: Todd Strauss-Schulson Screenplay by: Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg Starring: John Cho, Kal Penn and Neil Patrick Harris
But when Kumar comes over and accidentally burns down the tree, they then have to find a new one, steal it from a drug-lord gangster thug, try to not rape his daughter, crash a musical production of The Nutcracker, and limit the number of people they shoot and drug (to only Santa Claus and a baby). The 3D is of course a gimmick. They know that; we know that. It involves joints coming out of the screen and eggs, blood, and guts. It is as juvenile and pointless as you can get. But that is the point. The jokes are of course offensive. But, again, that’s the point. It makes it okay when the out-and-proud Neil Patrick Harris makes gay jokes, or when Cho and Penn make racial jokes. I enjoyed the journey that they take in “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas”. Every time the baby found a new drug to imbibe, or Kumar smoked another joint, I laughed. It’s the type of humour that has made the franchise so successful.

Current Status:

"A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Martha Marcy May Marlene: Movie Review

2011-11-12T18:58:00.003-05:00

Martha, Marcy May, and Marlene all caught between truth, sanity and madness.

Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) is a character who has forgotten what it means to be normal. Marcy May is a character who has been taught to ignore social values and any definition of “normal.” Martha and Marcy May is the same person and that’s where the conflict lies. “Martha Marcy May Marlene” is a dramatic character study which edges towards psychological thriller.		2011 Directed by: Sean Durkin Screenplay by: Sean Durkin Starring: Elizabeth Olsen
Martha has run away from the hippie commune where she was living as Marcy May. She calls her sister. Lucy (Sarah Paulson) is worried but happy to help. With a good night’s sleep, dinner and breakfast, and better clothes, Martha should be fine. But the longer she lives with her sister and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy), the harder it is for her to separate memories from dreams, right from wrong, and good people from bad people. Overall, the film is slow and silent, not usual traits for a psychological thriller. But concerns for Martha’s mental health grow wildly. The character of Martha, Marcy May, and Marlene is just so endearing, she’s somebody you want to care for. I’m not one for the hippie lifestyle or their false ideals (and I don’t think the filmmaker is either) but Marcy May just embodied the innocence of it so beautifully. Olsen has this tender powerfulness that suited the character (or characters) perfectly; she made you hold on to her with her all-knowing eyes and earnest desire to understand who she is. With a modest budget and a somewhat original way of showing madness mixing with sanity, shot and performed beautifully, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” should be in the running for all the major Independent Spirit Awards. As the first feature for both writer/director Sean Durkin and star Elizabeth Olsen, it certainly is a stunning debut. Before you venture into the mind of “Martha Marcy May Marlene” I will leave you with a final thought. Marlene will not tell the truth; Martha doesn’t tell the truth mostly because she can’t because she doesn’t know what it is anymore; Marcy May wants to tell the truth.

Current Status:

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is currently available as a new release DVD.

J. Edgar: Movie Review

2011-11-11T19:04:00.003-05:00

Presenting a hero but not defining hero versus villain.

“J. Edgar” is worth the hype, the fuss and the wait. I was particularly intrigued by the prospect that it was directed by the older, masculine Clint Eastwood and written by the younger, out-and-proud Dustin Lance Black. I got the biographical story of the FBI leader and I also got the deeply-touching love story of a closeted gay man. Both were woven together seamlessly.		2011 Directed by: Clint Eastwood Screenplay by: Dustin Lance Black Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer
We jumped around in time, and also a bit in reality, to not just tell us who he was and what he accomplished, but to show us why he was that man. Near the beginning of the film, J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) makes the comment that it’s time to re-clarify the difference between hero and villain. That’s definitely what he wanted, but I’d wager that the opposite is closer to what he got. American kids growing up towards the end of Hoover’s life seemed to think that they were to regard him as a bad man. Mostly because he did things that most people believe are wrong. But if those wrong actions come from a pure, child-like need of understanding good and evil and wanting good to be celebrated and evil to be punished, is that really so bad? He deeply detested politicians, anarchists and communists. I think he also believed that they were frequently one in the same. But he formed the FBI to protect America from any and all crimes. He cared about appearance, decorum, and respect. Mustaches are bad, well-cut suits are good, and he hired and fired on both accounts. The intimate details of Hoover’s life (which we probably can’t know for sure) came to life in the film when Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) walked into his office and was immediately hired. Presumably because he’s handsome and knows how to wear a suit. Tolson was shown to be more in touch with his sexuality. With Tolson by his side, the drama was heightened to show all the warring elements within Hoover — how he was raised contradicted with who he actually was and what he believed to be right contradicted with what was actually happening. Leonardo DiCaprio was an impeccable choice to play J. Edgar Hoover from a young man to his dying day at age 77. DiCaprio himself is nearing 40 but still looks the same as when he was a 16 year-old homeless kid on “Growing Pains,” and now might be his time for the Oscar. The transformation through all of Hoover’s weight gain, hair loss, and infallible belief system was perfect. He showed us the man as he should probably be remembered, and almost as he would like to be remembered.

Current Status:

"J. Edgar" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

The Skin I Live In: Movie Review

2011-11-11T12:42:00.003-05:00

Into the mind of mysteriously disturbed individuals.

“The Skin I Live In” is the latest Spanish film from writer and director Pedro Almodóvar who once again explores issues of sexuality, rape, and extremely dysfunctional relationships. Set in the future, as in, next year, a scientist, Robert (Antonio Banderas), has invented the “perfect” skin. Presumably to help burn victims. But things get more mysterious, sinister and unnatural.		2011 Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar Screenplay by: Pedro Almodóvar Starring: Antonio Banderas
Continuing in the present we are given hints as to how unhinged, immoral and obsessed Robert can be. I naively assumed that he was only slightly so. He’s just a scientist who lost his wife in an accident; it’s only natural for him to operate a little different than the rest of us. The second third of the film gives us the back story. Everything that I thought I had inferred from the beginning was wrong, completely wrong. I loved how they made me think, and then decipher it all again. But then I realized how aberrant and disturbing the story actually was. The last third of the film takes us back to the story unfolding in the present. While I did want to see how the denouement played out, I also wanted to see how others were responding to this film. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat and looked around the theatre to see most people laughing nervously. “The Skin I Live In” is far from a comedy but nervous laughter does seem to be the right response. As Almodóvar probably sees it, all problems (or any problem) can stem from pre-mature sexuality. Even if it’s not rape to some, it will be to others. I don’t think he ever really presents a solution, just that no good can ever come of it. “The Skin I Live In” gets into the mind of some disturbed individuals. One who is just naturally criminally-inclined, one who has selfishly decided to control things that he cannot, or should not, control, and one who was forced into a world of torment. The paintings on the walls and the pristine order of a house which could double as a prison all speak to what’s inside the mind.

Current Status:

"The Skin I Live In" is currently available as a new release DVD.

In Time: Movie Review

2011-11-10T23:56:00.006-05:00

Time is money and the science fiction romance genre is money for Hollywood.

In the world of “In Time”, time is money. Literally. Set in a future where everybody ages until 25, then they have one year left to live, except that one year is currency. The rich can live at age 25 eternally and the poor don’t always have a chance to live. Time zones are classes of wealth and you can’t cross over without upsetting the order of the world. It’s quite possible that they have taken this time is money equation too far.		2011 Directed by: Andrew Niccol Screenplay by: Andrew Niccol Starring: Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried
But I enjoyed this twist on the same old action movie. It even starts with some thoughts on philosophy. A rich boy finds himself in a poor man’s bar where everybody wants a piece of him, so much so that his considerable wealth and time line are in danger. While the poor are in constant need of money, it turns out that the rich don’t have the same drives for life. This rich guy is impressed by Will’s (Justin Timberlake) honesty and earnest desire to find out how the other side lives. Will is then faced with the possibility of an infinite life time of money. From there, we get a Robin Hood action movie. Will pairs up with a daddy’s girl vixen, Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried) and they are on the run from the time keepers (Cillian Murphy). I have enjoyed Timberlake’s recent foray into the world of movie stars, but I like him more as a comedic straight man than as an action hero. Seyfried, on the other hand, proves that she can play pretty much anything. A mysteriously innocent, sharp-shooting, sexy action girl suits her well. The logic that this new world presents is pretty easy to figure out, but as you are doing that at least you are distracted from the usual action movie set-up. Hollywood has ventured again into the science fiction romance genre, and has again come out with an intelligent, action-packed film with something for everyone.

Current Status:

"In Time" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Hesher: Movie Review

2011-11-10T11:30:00.001-05:00

Clever and drifting coming-of-age story about mayhem.

In the language of Hesher, the film is about a young man, an old lady, a young dude and a middle-aged dude. Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the young man, although he’s really anything but. He’s a homeless, drifting hippie causing mayhem in lieu of a rock-and-roll career. I suppose the film can be referred to the exact same way. It’s a drifting piece about sex, drugs and mayhem in a coming-of-age story with no real home.		2010 Directed by: Spencer Susser Screenplay by: Spencer Susser and David Michod Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Devin Brochu
One of the show-stealers is the “little dude”, a boy, T.J., played by Devin Brochu. He’s trying to hang on to memories of his mother while his father wastes away on the couch and bullies beat him up at school. To him, Hesher is supposed to be his guardian angel, except instead of providing guidance and protection, Hesher convinces T.J. to fall in love with a 20-something girl and get in trouble with the law. I could have used some of the guidance and protection that Hesher didn’t provide, and that all of the characters needed but didn’t get. Although the film crossed boundaries of originality, there was no guiding light, no defining story. There was nothing but ingenuity and clever lines pushing us to the finish line. And brilliant performances, of course. It almost goes without saying that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the most resplendent actors of his generation. If it wasn’t for the fact that there are other big name actors in it, I would have assumed that “Hesher” was made for the sole purpose of showing off his talent. Hesher wasn’t made for the story, and I even doubt that it was made for the voice of the characters, but there is something in it despite the sex, drugs and rock-and-roll attitude that engages you.

Current Status:

"Hesher" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Contagion: Movie Review

2011-11-09T23:49:00.003-05:00

Life and death as been done before but now with debates.

“Contagion” is the fight against a contagious disease. The fight against time, against the virus, and against fear. Humanity being threatened by a deadly illness is not new for cinema. But it is a better adventure than most. There’s science, heartbreak, death, life and young love, and all with more characters than you can count, but played by some of the best actors that Hollywood and the world have to offer.		2011 Directed by: Steven Soderbergh Screenplay by: Scott Z. Burns Starring: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet and Jude Law
Gwyneth Paltrow, the beautiful blonde, is the first to get sick. Immediately thereafter, the deaths start piling up. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization start investigating (WHO). Husbands (Matt Damon) want answers, doctors (Kate Winslet, et al) want answers, and everybody else gets to run around with their heads chopped off (figuratively). And we followed everybody, and they were all played by a worthwhile actor, even those with just a line or two. I could have done with a lot less characters. In fact, I probably would have preferred it with one main character. Specifically, Jude Law as Alan Krumwiede, a blogger with personal investments in the outcome of humanity. The great thing is that instead of representing the media as a collective group of non-identifiable people, we got one person, an interestingly-created, modern, selfish person. I think he needed to be much more gray and less evil, but even as is he instigated debates about journalism, and about what traits or actions make one person worse than another. Warning: you may disagree with your loved one, and that is one of the best things “Contagion” can do. I’m not even sure that the filmmakers know what they did well and what they didn’t do well because they basically just did everything. I had seen most of it before, but they did do most of it well. But as I said before, I got a debate about journalism in a film about life and death and that part was better than I could have expected.

Current Status:

"Contagion" is currently available as new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Friends with Benefits: Movie Review

2011-10-31T13:50:00.002-04:00

Insulting romantic comedies, its fans, and everything else.

The thing about ‘Friends with Benefits” is that you have, in fact, seen it before. Not in the generic way the film implies that all romantic comedies are the same. But this exact movie was released earlier this year with the title “No Strings Attached”. And what’s worse is that vapid, uninspired, Hollywood-love-fest original is actually better.		2011 Directed by: Will Gluck Screenplay by: Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, Will Gluck and Harley Peyton Starring: Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake
Unashamedly, I admit that I like romantic comedies. I do get very upset when Hollywood makes stupid ones that I don’t like it, but I still watch them. The problems here stem from the fact that “Friends with Benefits” is a romantic comedy but thinks that it isn’t. One of the jokes that lasts the entire run-time of the movie is that romantic comedies suck and the people who watch them are fundamentally stupid. I don’t like being insulted and I especially don’t like being insulted by something that is trying to survive on put-downs and pretending to be better than the very genre they belong to. There is a fake romantic comedy that plays during this movie, usually serving as fodder for insults, and allows the film to point out everything that is wrong with it. I don’t think the filmmakers are so daft to not realize that they are doing the exact same things, but I do think they expected their audience to not pick up on it. Recently Jason Segel has been doing the rounds promoting his new Muppets movie. One of the points he likes making is that the humour is pure and innocent; that the jokes don’t insult or put-down anyone or anything. I like Segel as much as the next person, but it astounds me that he could be so hypocritical that just three months earlier he appeared in a movie where every joke insulted somebody or something. And I do mean every joke. We start with John Mayer insults and the obligatory Katherine Heigl jokes, move on to standard romantic comedy insults, then come back with some out-of-place jokes making fun of the Hudson River-landing pilot, and on the way back to more romantic comedy insults, shoot off some remarks about Kriss Kross, ‘90s pop bands, and of course, homosexuals. And I likely forgot some. Contrary to the current popular stance, I like Justin Timberlake. He has been in a lot of movies recently, and he’s usually one of the best things in them. He also has no problem insulting himself. Surprisingly, the movie never took that path. If for some reason, you’re still watching, beware that “Friends with Benefits” probably has the highest product placement total in recent history. There’s a reason Timberlake’s character is a marketing exec at GQ – if they didn’t make enough money at the box office, they would have off of their sponsors. To be clear, “Friends with Benefits” is a romantic comedy. Girl is emotionally damaged, boy is emotionally unavailable. Girl falls for boy, boy falls for girl, but let’s see how long before they both give in. If you don’t like romantic comedies, then you won’t like this. If you do like romantic comedies, then the filmmakers think you have a worthless opinion and you won’t like it anyways. It is odd how that works out.

Current Status:

"Friends with Benefits" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Red State: Movie Review

2011-10-21T20:26:00.002-04:00

This is the stuff that nightmares are made of.

“Red State” is a horror the way “Jesus Camp” (the 2006 documentary) is a horror; not in the way Hollywood makes horror movies. It’s actually scary. It’s scary because these people exist and events like the fictional ones portrayed here have occurred and there’s no reason they won’t occur again. I’m assuming Kevin Smith had nightmares for years and to try and right his world, he had to tell this story.		2011 Directed by: Kevin Smith Screenplay by: Kevin Smith Starring: Michael Parks and John Goodman
It starts with teenage boys being teenage boys, and the extreme religious right being the deranged maniacs that they are. The three high school boys (in star-making performances by Michael Angarano, Kyle Gallner and Nicholas Braun) are just trying to get laid. Meanwhile, lunatic preacher Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) is just trying to exterminate all homosexuals or anybody who may have homosexual tendencies. As you can guess, their paths cross and things don’t go well for the boys (I would call them our heroes, but I’ll get to that later). When a local law enforcer finds his own reasons to hunt down Abin Cooper, things get significantly worse for everybody. I’ll give you a hint as to how things could get really bad: Cooper and his followers don’t just have murderous rage against gays, they are also gun nuts. The interesting things here are not so much what is shown on screen but the implications of what Smith is trying to say by what he has shown on the screen, which to be clear, is a lot of screaming and a lot of gun shots. One of the more intriguing ideas that Smith is saying, is that there is no such thing as heroes. John Goodman as the Federal agent is the closest thing we get to a hero but even he makes decisions that are brought on by his own personal feelings and not getting all the facts. As the saying goes: Shoot first, think later. That applies to pretty much everybody we meet. The film continues with a few somewhat positive resolutions, bringing this story into the present world we live in. But the damage has been done, and the lessons can be hard to learn. “Red State” premiered at Sundance in January of this year to a lot of (negative) buzz mostly due to the so-called stunt that Smith pulled by pretending to auction off the distribution rights but then buying it himself. I wasn’t there, but I’m on his side. This story has to be told and he has a better chance himself of getting this film seen than going through some distribution company that is scared of the religious right. There was an episode of The Daily Show in the fall of 2008 when the fear of Sarah Palin becoming vice president was a very real fear, and Jon Stewart was almost brought to tears out of the fear he had. I had the same fear and felt what he was feeling. Now after watching this, I know that Kevin Smith had the same kind of fear. Perhaps a bit more centered on the religious right than the political right. There are some haunting shots in this film that will stay with you. In particular, one of Michael Angarano crouching with a machine gun and shaking as he cried. “Red State” can be quite affecting because the fear is real.

Current Status:

"Red State" is currently available as a new release DVD.

50/50: Movie Review

2011-10-17T18:12:00.004-04:00

The mostly weird, but the funny and the beautiful of the comedy of cancer.

“50/50” takes the dying-of-cancer genre and mixes it with the crass-and-crude comedy genre. The result is a film which is half-touching and half-funny, and only barely adds up to a whole. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has made a career out of playing the nice guy with the simple and subtle reactions, usually in light comedies, but as 27 year-old Adam there was a bit too much of the nice and light.		2011 Directed by: Jonathan Levine Screenplay by: Will Reiser Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick
Seth Rogen has made a career out of playing the bumbling best friend with rude lines and sexual innuendoes. As usual, he was still pretty funny here. But it is a weird mix when one friend is dying of cancer and the other is making jokes about getting laid in high school. It is also exactly what the film was trying to do. Adam is trying to come to an understanding and acceptance of the finality of his life, and it is *his* life. He wants everybody to understand that. Whether it’s the unhelpful assistance of his passive aggressive girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), or the awkward joke-making of his best friend, or the incessant meddling of his mother, Adam just wants to be left alone. Not actually alone, alone, but alone with them. There was something void in Adam’s struggle of his fate. He was perhaps too staid during a part of life that those of us who are the same age as him, won’t be able to have the same understanding. Either way, there was something missing for that needed level of sympathy. What was missing was a humorous, touching and compassionate love interest. She arrived in the form of the beautiful and funny Anna Kendrick. She was our connection to Adam. She was the one that was able to meld the comedy and the dying-of-cancer tragedy into something that wasn’t weird. I would like to say that she came into the picture too late and was used too little, but “50/50” was trying to make it more about Adam and all the relationships in his life.

Current Status:

"50/50" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

The Entitled: Movie Review

2011-10-16T13:14:00.003-04:00

Rich kids, poor kids, their parents, and all their attitudes locked in a house.

A group of under-privileged kids starving for money and attention; a group of over-privileged kids starving for action and attention; a group of over-privileged adults trying to be content with their current state of life. That’s “The Entitled.” One group wants what the others have and the others just plain want. If you want an intelligent, thought-out thriller, you’ve got it.		2011 Directed by: Aaron Woodley Screenplay by: William Morrissey Starring: Kevin Zegers and Ray Liotta
The film starts out a little pedestrian and juvenile with pointless scenes and then a few scenes continuously pointing out that our main hero was poor. But as it turns out, those scenes weren’t pointless or over-done, you just had to wait until the end to figure it out. Everything contributes to the final result. Our main hero is Paul Dynan (Kevin Zegers) — broke, jobless, defeated, and almost option-less. A last ditch effort to save his mother and their house, he abducts three local rich kids, uses two misfit friends to torture them, and tries to get money out of their fathers. The brilliant aspects of this film which they did so well were the different relationship dynamics. The group of rich, entitled kids consisted of two males and one female. One couple but all three were friends. The group of poor, angry kids was exactly the same (just minus the money). The three fathers had the same relationships that their kids had, just a taller, older version. Continuing in the vein of brilliant relationship dynamics, the plot of the kidnapping was propelled forward by how everybody acted within their own group. Apparently the key to a successful crime (or not successful) is knowing how all the individuals will act. The key to a successful crime thriller is making sure that your characters act in interesting ways. The lead acting was very impressive, just as I was frequently in awe of how impressively smart the turns were in this thriller, I was amazed by how natural and creepy Zegers could be. Ray Liotta and the two other actors playing the fathers were equally as arresting. The minor actors couldn’t overcome the sometimes awkward and painful dialogue. Now don’t get me wrong, the screenplay by William Morrissey is actually pretty good story-wise, he just doesn’t give a good voice to the over-privileged, entitled rich kids. But then again, who does? I still think the opening sequences could have been tightened up to help me realize how important they actually are to the story. But above all else, “The Entitled” made me think and I like watching films about some characters who do think and some characters who don’t think. And I’ll let you figure out which groups they belong to.

Current Status:

"The Entitled" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Restless: Movie Review

2011-10-15T15:33:00.003-04:00

A story about a boy who meets death, then a girl, and then love.

“Restless” is the story of a boy who is restless with the living side of life and a girl, also restless with the living side of life since she just wants to get on with her own impending death. Enoch (Henry Hopper) is more interested in death since death claimed the lives of his parents and the life he once knew. Annabel (Mia Wasikowska) is a terminally ill cancer patient and instead of fighting her illness, is content living her final days studying nature. Until they met each other.		2011 Directed by: Gus van Sant Screenplay by: Jason Lew Starring: Henry Hopper, Mia Wasikowska, Schuyler Fisk and Ryo Kase
It’s a story of boy meets girl, if you will. Except, these are not conventional characters, so this is not a conventional love story. The son of Dennis Hopper looks like he just walked out of the Cleary Estate from “Wedding Crashers” (2005) as the misbegotten son with creepy obsessions. The problem with this type of character in a drama is that he isn’t endearing enough and he certainly isn’t there for us to laugh at. Annabel doesn’t hold her own life with much respect either (not that she has much choice with her terminal illness and all) but either way it’s hard for us to care about her all that much too. The most sympathetic character was Elizabeth (Schuyler Fisk, daughter of Sissy Spacek), Annabel’s sister, who has no father, an inept, alcoholic mother who would be better off dead, and a dying sister who is perfectly happy with the finality of her life. I felt bad for her. The next most sympathetic character was Hiroshi (Ryo Kase). He was a ghost. If the film is starting to sound a little odd, that’s because it is. I certainly applaud the film for creating such odd characters with odd responses to life as it goes on around them. But because the characters were so far removed from anything I know, it was a little hard to fully appreciate them. It’s still interesting enough and well written for those craving a small, independent movie about life, love and death.

Current Status:

"Restless" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

The Ides of March: Movie Review

2011-10-07T20:38:00.004-04:00

The games people play to get ahead, not necessarily in politics, but within themselves.

George Clooney is running for President. Well, I mean, in “The Ides of March,” as Governor Mike Morris, he’s running for the Democratic Presidential nomination. He’s the good guy and his opponent is the bad guy. Because that’s how it is supposed to be, right? The opponent’s campaign manager is played by the ever shady Paul Giamatti, while Morris’ campaign is run by the young, handsome idealist Stephen (Ryan Gosling).		2011 Directed by: George Clooney Screenplay by: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon Based on the play by Beau Willimon Starring: George Clooney and Ryan Gosling
This is about politics, the games people play to get ahead, and the types of people who get played—that’s the interesting part. The refreshing part, is that this isn’t about election night and who is going to win and who is going to lose. A few poll numbers are rattled off, but it’s mostly about what is going to happen to our heroes (or anti-heroes) and what are they going to do in response. When you look like Clooney and Gosling, it’s hard not to be the hero, but remember, this is politics and nobody is really a hero in that mess. People make mistakes. I enjoyed following Stephen as he struggled internally with his path forward. He believes in the good of the Governor. He’s smart and passionate and makes a good campaign manager. His mistakes seem minor and understandable. The problem is, he’s 30. He’s at the in-between age, where he’s half young-college-student-ready-to-take-over-the-world and half experienced-cynic. Those are two very combative halves and when they come at odds within him, the character takes some shocking and drastic turns. The few references to actual political gaffes are obvious and just done for comic relief. All the clever lines are stolen by Giamatti, who, I am predicting, will come away with the only acting nomination for the film. Although, the brilliant character work – that’s done by everybody, and is what makes “The Ides of March” so intriguing.

Current Status:

"The Ides of March" wiis currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Moneyball: Movie Review

2011-10-01T16:58:00.003-04:00

More than a game of numbers.

It has long been said that professional sports are more a game of politics than an actual game. The MLB is not just a game of money, but here, it’s a game of numbers versus a game of people. It's callousness at its highest when general managers trade away people as objects with little regard for them or their family. Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the GM of the Oakland As, seems to take that even further, treating people as if they are only numbers, and yet there was something refreshing and humanistic about the whole thing.		2011 Directed by: Bennett Miller Screenplay by: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin Based on the book by Michael Lewis Starring: Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill
It's 2001 and Oakland has just lost to the New York Yankees in the playoffs, not surprising, seeing as their payroll was 76 Million dollars less. The humour of "Moneyball" starts in the offseason when the team can't afford to keep their top players and Beane and his experienced scouts start tossing around some free agent ideas. One guy is no good because he frequents strip clubs too often, another guy is no good because his girlfriend is ugly, and on down the list they go. But then Beane meets Yale-educated, economics-, mathematics-, and computer-whiz baseball fan Peter Brand (Jonah Hill). He has no experience and he doesn't know these players. He doesn't know if they stand funny or if they swing ugly. He only knows their stats and their salary. A lot of people took offense to Beane's approach of degrading players down to the sum total of their on-base percentage and runs-in potential. But I liked it. Since the game of baseball isn't changing any time soon and players will always just be elements that can help win games and make more money, why not view them as numbers rather than as people with ugly girlfriends? Like Peter Brand, I like numbers. It’s a movie about doing more with less, so I think we’re just supposed to ignore the irony that they needed an excessively high budget to make it. In fact, it cost Sony Pictures more money to make this movie than it cost the Oakland A’s to field their entire team for a season. Oh well, only one lesson for Hollywood at a time, and I still liked it. For a movie about people trying to change the game of baseball, it's only fitting that they are changing the sports genre. This isn't about the team and how many games they're going to win. As in all cases, they win some and they lose some. And we really only meet one player, the rest are just names thrown in the air. The movie is about Billy Beane, a real person, and a multi-dimensional character. At first he realizes that he is going to have to play the game with more than just money, and then after he makes it about numbers too, he finds a balanced statistical and personal concept. "Moneyball" says that the game is about money, but the movie is about people. Writer Aaron Sorkin knows how to write people, and as evidenced by "The Social Network" (2010), he also knows how to turn computer-programming into riveting cinema. We find humour in the least-expected of places, we find heart in the least-expected of people, and 'Moneyball" gives us a completely enjoyable movie that becomes so much more than numbers.

Current Status:

"Moneyball" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Prom: Movie Review

2011-09-30T14:53:00.002-04:00

Disney-ifying of prom for an immature but sweet re-hash of predictability.

"Prom" is the Disney version of prom for teenagers. Or make that 17 year-olds acting like 12 year-olds (but of course acted by 20 year-olds). It's immature because it fails to bring in any humour, reality, or surprises that people of any age could enjoy. The plot is like every other adolescent romantic comedy. High-schoolers are getting ready for prom, led by the over-achieving, blonde, class president, but who is being opposed by the local rebel.		2011 Directed by: Joe Nussbaum Screenplay by: Katie Wech Starring: Aimee Teegarden and Thomas McDonell
The rebel is the leather jacket-wearing, too-cool-for-school, dark and handsome type with long hair. There are many examples of movies with this character, but the one that comes to my mind is "Cry-Baby" (1990), the Johnny Depp starrer. Thomas McDonell is a Johnny Depp look-a-like, as in, looks exactly like him. And at least in comparison of their two identical movies, he even acts like him too. McDonell could very well become the Johnny Depp of the next generation. Next year, he will play him in the up-coming "Dark Shadows" (2012) where Depp is the vampire Barnabas Collins and McDonell is the "young Barnabas Collins." Instead of writing in additional plot lines (i.e. more than just getting ready for prom), we got additional characters (all of them getting ready for prom). There were way more than I could possibly care about. The movie probably would have been better spent turning the "main" characters into more endearing people. None were unlikable, they were just fairly bland, and a lot had difficulty delivering the cheesy lines. "Prom" is at least predictable on purpose. Nobody is supposed to be caught off-guard, and we're just supposed to naturally fall for the sweetness of the overly simplified teenage relationships on screen. It is sweet and good-natured, but despite all the characters' insistence for perfection, "Prom" is far from perfect.

Current Status:

"Prom" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams: Documentary Review

2011-09-17T17:43:00.003-04:00

Exploring the earliest artwork that we forgot but nature remembered.

Shot entirely in 3-D, we enter the cave exactly as the filmmakers did and just as the handful of scientists did when they first discovered it. The Chauvet cave is located in Southern France and was discovered in 1994, perfectly preserved for 20,000 years. The documentary is a history lesson on the oldest known human pictorial creations.		2010 Directed by: Werner Herzog Screenplay by: Werner Herzog
This documentary isn’t about debating if the age of the paintings really is 32,000 years old, or if radiocarbon dating can give us an accurate time line for the elements of the cave. It is somewhat about what these early humans were trying to tell us with some of their drawings. For instance, one with the head of a bison and body of a woman, I found very intriguing. What it is about in its entirety, is examining the beauty of the art, and the beauty of the archaeologists who just want to immerse themselves in it. Werner Herzog has a fairly quiet narration in the exploration of the cave, occasionally pointing out interesting drawings or formations. He interviews a collection of eccentric international historians and scientists, who usually have a curious way of drawing metaphors to describe the profoundness of the cave. At all times they were mostly amusing and entertaining, if not all that relevant (one perfumer tries to sniff out hidden caves with no success). Most reviewers have found the 3-D angle to this film to be mostly pointless, but my take on that is the opposite. I was hooked with the first foot-steps that it felt like I was taking on the narrow wooden pathway along the cliff wall leading to the disguised cave opening. I was peering around the cave walls trying to see the continuation of the painted panels. It’s exactly the type of movie that should be added to the current 3-D filmography. Produced in part by the History Channel, “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” is an opportunity for all of us to collectively build on the history of our ancient ancestors, that we have forgotten about, but nature did not.

Current Status:

"Cave of Forgotten Dreams" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Drive: Movie Review

2011-09-16T22:56:00.003-04:00

Driving a slow and thoughtful character study into a full-on violent crime thriller.

Ryan Gosling is a driver. During the day, he’s a part-time Hollywood stunt man and a part-time car mechanic. During the night, he seems to spend most of his time helping out with criminal activities. All of the time, he’s a leading man. He has a quiet and unassuming charm about him that can drive girls wild, and grateful bosses (like Bryan Cranston) since he’s so trustworthy and capable.		2011 Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn Screenplay by: Hossein Amin Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston
The girl is Carey Mulligan, looking much older and more experienced than her 16 year-old Jenny from “An Education” (2009). Again, sometimes girls fall for the wrong guy. But sometimes, the guy isn’t bad, he just makes some wrong turns. For the few questionable choices that the driver made, every choice the filmmakers made was perfect. The film has such an artistic appeal to it with interesting transitions and scenes where the characters might just sit silent for five minutes, but we still know what’s going on. The driver may drive at high-speeds and flip cars in Hollywood crash ‘em up action movies, but “Drive” is anything but. It’s actually not so far-fetched for Gosling to refer to it as a “John Hughes superhero movie.” There’s a background feel to it that makes it seem like an ‘80s chick flick, even though it’s nothing like that. It starts with the speed of a minimalistic character study, but then we don’t even learn our hero’s name. I’m glad it started that way because it got me more interested in the crime and money-stealing plot. “Drive” is slow, thoughtful, and interestingly shot and paced. Oh, and it’s violent. Things get bloody as there is a tendency for heads to get smashed in when the money and livelihood of thugs are in jeopardy. Be sure you know your driver and your route home well after seeing this as you could be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life.

Current Status:

"Drive" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Peep World: Movie Review

2011-08-29T19:14:00.003-04:00

A true comedy that you don't have to hold up a mirror for.

"Peep World" is a peek into a world of a dysfunctional family. It's a dysfunctional family comedy and it's funny. Henry had four children, even though he really shouldn't have had any, and they all pretty much hate each other and him. This movie is set on one particular day: Henry's birthday, and right after the youngest sibling, Nathan (Ben Schwartz), wrote a best-selling book revealing the family's secrets.		2010 Directed by: Barry W. Blaustein Screenplay by: Peter Himmelstein Starring: Ben Schwartz, Kate Mara and Michael C. Hall
I consider it better than most dysfunctional family dramedies because this isn't a drama-comedy, it's pure comedy and it is hilarious. There is a moment of self-realization for most of the characters near the end that comes awfully close to melodrama that probably would have been better left on the cutting-room floor, but it doesn't really affect the many moments of brilliant, cutting humour. Another reviewer had mentioned that the one thing he liked about the movie is that the characters seemed like real people. Oddly enough, one of the many things that I liked about the movie is that the characters were nothing like real people. They are all rich, privileged, fundamentally screwed-up fools who are completely clueless and selfish. At no point do I even have to consider comparing myself to them. When Nathan declares that his book requires America to hold up a mirror, that is a joke for the audience to get. It has an all-star cast who, for the most part, are acting outside of their standard roles. Rainn Wilson is not playing the dweeby loser he usually does, but he is trying to get his life together again after going to rehab three times. Don't expect Sarah Silverman to break out into her stand-up routine, she's busy fretting over her father's new, young girlfriend. Michael C. Hall is basically playing the straight-man, but every character is messed up in some way. Judy Greer plays the one serious role in the movie and that is a very welcomed change for her. Kate Mara stood out for me as she held her own against the star (Schwartz) and mastered the subtle reactions to his many comedic and chauvinistic mishaps. Lewis Black narrates all the characters and their ridiculous episodes, and I can't help but laugh at everything he says. Mostly because all the jokes in "Peep World" are funny; they work on multiple levels, and usually on one of those levels, they're true.

Current Status:

"Peep World" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Ceremony: Movie Review

2011-08-28T18:12:00.002-04:00

The romantic desperation of flawed characters with humour, love and understanding.

Sam (Michael Angarano) is going to take his friend Marshall (Reece Thompson) on an adventure. It starts with Sam referring to liking a book in his “younger and more vulnerable years.” Sam used to think it was written about him; Marshall thinks it is written about him. And if you already know which book they are referring to, the characteristics of Sam and Marshall, and the adventure they are about to go on, instantly fall into place.		2010 Directed by: Max Winkler Screenplay by: Max Winkler Starring: Michael Angarano, Reece Thompson, Uma Thurman and Lee Pace
Marshall doesn’t yet know, but Sam is chasing after a girl. You probably already knew that because after all, that’s what Gatsby was doing too. And because “Ceremony” is a romantic comedy. The girl is Zoe (Uma Thurman) and she’s about to marry Whit because he’s rich and handsome. Sam, although just as immature, is likely a bit more well-read than Gatsby, and he makes some hilarious and shrewd remarks about Whit and Zoe, their relationship, and about the relationship he would like to have with Zoe. “Ceremony” is not actually like “The Great Gatsby”, but the simple parallels that you can make amongst all the characters, illustrates how anyone would be able to find something to connect to in Fitzgerald’s classic. And then afterwards, you will be able to find an extra layer of meaning in “Ceremony”. This is a romantic comedy, or coming-of-age journey, that is delightfully funny, whimsically quirky, but with a real sense of character. It is written and directed by Max Winkler, son of the Fonz, and he shows a natural ability coupled with a strong sense of humour and intellect. What makes me confident that he will become a great writer is when his characters discuss the art of writing characters all the while being completely oblivious to their own flaws. Michael Angarano shows that he is becoming the star that he deserves to be (if this finds an audience) with his quick delivery of witty lines and his ability to sport a moustache and a burnt-orange suit throughout the entire movie without ever making a single joke feel tired. The younger Reese Thompson (playing the year-and-a-half older Marshall) seemed a bit out of his league, but then again he’s playing a character who is a bit out of his league. Although it takes place during a weekend wedding with a guy trying to win over a girl, it doesn’t follow any standard romantic comedy trajectories. Marhsall observes those around him as he slowly matures, and Sam gets pretty much exactly what he deserves for his current level of maturity and understanding of human nature. “Ceremony” gives us that green light at the end of the dock to believe in, the orgastic future of filmmaking.

Current Status:

"Ceremony" is currently available as a new release DVD.

The Whistleblower: Movie Review

2011-08-27T17:18:00.003-04:00

Uncovering corruption by breaking one law at a time.

Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz) is “The Whistleblower.” Exposing the corruption in the U.N., and international and local Bosnian police corps when she uncovers human trafficking of teenage girls. A peace-keeping American police officer sent to Bosnia after the war, she takes her job of “investigating crimes and reporting wrong-doing” seriously. What her job actually is, isn’t very clear.		2010 Directed by: Larysa Kondracki Screenplay by: Larysa Kondracki and Eilis Kirwan Starring: Rachel Weisz
For as much chaos that is occurring during this time, the film takes a very clerical approach. One scene establishing the crimes being inflicted on these young girls, one scene establishing that Kathy is the mother of a teenage daughter, and one scene establishing that she needs money to be able to move closer to her ex-husband and children. And then ta-da, she’s in Bosnia making lots of money as the head of a department on gender equality. I don’t mean to imply that that’s a good thing for her, just that Hollywood has a way of making every story neat and tidy — too neat and tidy. This is a tough story because what is occurring to these girls is too graphic and upsetting to tell or to make a movie out of. The smart move was making this movie about Kathy and less about the girls. We don’t get emotionally invested until Kathy has formed a connection with one of the girls, and by then we already know what is happening to them. The plot description that this is a political thriller with “private contractors and multinational diplomatic doubletalk” makes it sound it’s a nonsense plot with lots of characters and twists just to make sure that you realize that it is smarter than you are. Thankfully, it’s not that bad. There are too many characters, but what is going on and what Kathy needs to get done are very straight-forward. I just don’t really understand the need to have Kathryn not even understand that there is going to be protocol that should be followed at times. Surely there is a way to uncover illegal corruption without committing so many laws yourself? I believe there is a way, but to Hollywood it would just be too boring. So “The Whistleblower” is made to be just as exciting as the crimes are horrific, which can leave you a little detached from reality.

Current Status:

"The Whistleblower" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Our Idiot Brother: Movie Review

2011-08-27T00:53:00.003-04:00

Light on the comedy but so charming that "Our Idiot Brother" is likable.

As has been stated many times already, Ned (Paul Rudd) is not an idiot. Well, he kind of is. He lacks understanding of normal social protocol, and not in a genius kind-of-way, but as a hippie. Prone to frequent breakdowns in communication, one such instance lands him in jail. When he’s out, he’s off to live with his family. His sisters all treat him like he’s an idiot. Hence, the title, “Our Idiot Brother.”		2011 Directed by: Jesse Peretz Screenplay by: David Schisgall and Evgenia Peretz Starring: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel
Ned is a good and caring guy. His sisters are completely different and completely different from each other — one is even British. In their own way, they are all selfish, demanding and insensitive people. But don’t worry, Ned is our hero and protagonist. If you are currently sighing in relief, I understand. A career spanning two decades with 30-plus movie credits, and we’ve only seen Paul Rudd in the lead role a handful of times. Rudd has infused Ned with all the charm, likability and overall appeal that we have come to expect from him. Surprisingly, the less likable actresses playing the three unlikable sisters were at least able to add some humour to their characters. The three supporting actors probably could have stolen the show if they were given more time: Steve Coogan as the husband with an exhibitionism penchant; Hugh Dancy as a creepy artist turned cultist; and Adam Scott as Rudd’s long lost brother — not literally, he just has the same presence. “Our Idiot Brother” is a comedy, one of those heart-warming comedies, where all of the characters start coming around to see the value of having Ned in their life. It takes them longer than us to realize his positive aspects because most of them are not fully-developed characters (especially the mother, I’m not sure what the point of her was). Unfortunately, it’s not a particularly funny comedy, but it is a likable one. A few ill-fated groin jokes would have been better off in a different movie, and a few jokes lost their humour after they appeared in the trailer, and after that there’s only a few left to discover. It is funny, but not as funny as you would expect a comedy to be. Did I mention likable? Because that’s what “Our Idiot Brother” is: sweet, charming and overall appealing.

Current Status:

"Our Idiot Brother" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Miss Nobody: Movie Review

2011-08-25T19:15:00.001-04:00

Murder in a fun, cartoon-like environment.

Sarah Jane McKinney (Leslie Bibb) is "Miss Nobody", a secretary for a pharmaceutical company who has no boyfriend but faith that her guiding angel will send her messages as to what she should be doing. Her mother ensures her that everybody lies, so a very smudged resume gets her a promotion to junior executive.		2010 Directed by: Tim Cox Screenplay by: Doug Steinberg Starring: Leslie Bibb and Adam Goldberg
Sarah Jane is mostly concerned about finding her knight in shining armour since a job is only a job and doesn’t warm your heart. Karma, an underlining belief in this film, says that you get what you deserve. She didn’t really deserve that promotion, and indeed finds that she lost it after all and is now a secretary for a new, young, handsome company transfer. But that must be her path in life since he’s handsome and men always sleep with their secretary. But to be clear, this is not a romantic comedy. It’s a light-hearted dark, crime comedy. It seems fantasy-like, or even cartoon-like in its use of colour, narration and score choice. It tries to be edgy, like film noir, but is way too silly for that mix to work well. But it is fun, and that is most likely its ultimate aim. When she accidentally murders her handsome boss, it turns out she wants to aim high in the corporate world – she wants the corner office. As her guiding angel sends her more messages, it looks like more accidental murders might be in her future and life is looking pretty grand for Miss Sarah Jane. The best part of the film is Adam Goldberg, he introduces himself as her knight in shining armour, and while she is smitten with him, he happens to be a homicide detective. The instant conflict that we can see in their relationship is handled well. The performances throughout the film are great and the sense of fun is always there. They are definitely going for something fairly unique and for the most part they succeed in that. There was a bit too much narration; better films would be able to show me what they need to and then let me figure out the rest, and things get wrapped up in a slightly unsatisfying way, but for “Miss Nobody” it’s more about the journey and how we get there.

Current Status:

"Miss Nobody" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Life During Wartime: Movie Review

2011-08-21T18:48:00.001-04:00

Twisting normal life into something that is weirdly funny and strangely bizarre.

Dark, funny and tragic, “Life During Wartime” is like a satire of one of those dysfunctional family dramedies. But by creating characters that are just outside of arm’s reach and having them say things that are more tragic than funny, it’s more like it is a family dramedy than a satire of one.		2009 Directed by: Todd Solondz Screenplay by: Todd Solondz Starring: Allison Janney and Shirley Henderson
Joy (Shirley Henderson) is married to a drug addict and phone sex addict and she thinks she’s going to cure him, instead she’s off wandering this world on her own. Trish (Allison Janney) has finally found a “normal” guy and is raising her kids to forget about their pedophile father. I remember enjoying Todd Solondz’s previous films “Welcome to the Dollhouse”, “Storytelling” and “Happiness” (which this is some kind of bizarre continuation of – some of the same characters, none of the same actors), but this one was presented to me as if these are somewhat “normal” people but they don’t do anything or say anything in normal ways. It is funny. To some people, it’s funny in a laugh-out-loud way because the filmmaker is daring enough to have the characters say things which normal people wouldn’t say. To other people, it’s funny because it’s a real representation of how dark the world is. To me, it’s funny in an awkward and uncomfortable way since these “normal” characters are saying such inappropriate things. I was left on the outside looking in because these “normal” characters are not normal, they are weird, bizarre and off-putting. Solondz was trying to walk that very thin line of laughing at the characters but caring about them at the same time and going through the same emotional turmoil that they are. I ended up on the wrong side of that line, where I nervously laughed at them occasionally but didn’t care about them at all. It’s not really straight-out funny enough to be a satire, but then again, Solondz doesn’t really do anything straight. This is good writing and good filmmaking where subtle hints at the characters’ fantasies become their reality, which become an indictment of the society that we live in – “Life During Wartime.” As the saying goes, it’s funny because it’s true, but the characters are just a little too far from normal to be true.

Current Status:

"Life During Wartime" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Shelter: Movie Review

2011-08-20T19:03:00.002-04:00

Deranged characters playing in a deranged plot in a horror movie.

Dr. Cara Harding (Julianne Moore) is a psychiatrist. She no longer believes in God, but she does believe in “science”. The science in “Shelter” is shaky to say the least. It involves deranged psychopaths physically morphing into dead people and souls that come out of people’s mouths (if not held in by dirt). It’s supposed to be a psychological thriller, but it’s more like a horror without any real psychology to it.		2010 Directed by: Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein Screenplay by: Michael Cooney Starring: Julianne Moore and Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays the deranged psychopath (in the audience’s terms), or a multiple personalities patient (in the movie’s terms). We mostly know him as Adam, his “true self”, and also as David, a real person who is no longer alive. I like Meyers but nobody can pull off such an unrealistic character. Dr. Cara Harding is just a stupid character. We have all been taught either from our parents as kids or from watching thrillers that you: Do no enter abandoned houses in the country; do not wander alone into the woods; and do not walk along back roads at night. And you especially don’t do any of the above with murderers around. Well, Cara did all of that. It’s hard to care for her safety when she has such little disregard for her own. The voice of reason always gets killed. That’s probably why we were only given one reasonable person. Nathan Corddry played Cara’s brother, Stephen. He took care of her six year-old daughter when she was off enticing a murderer to kill her. I liked both the character and the actor and they both had such a thankless role. The heart of this movie clearly does not lie with the characters. It’s ultimately about Cara figuring out who or what Adam really is and what he’s done. Since I am smarter than Cara (remember all the stupid things she has done), I figured it out pretty early on. “Shelter” is still vaguely interesting, but it’s not science.

Current Status:

"Shelter" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

One Day: Movie Review

2011-08-19T20:04:00.003-04:00

By sticking to the novel, the movie loses connection to the characters.

"One Day", based on the novel of the same name, is the relationship of two people, Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess), as we see it on July 15th of each year. As can be expected from the nature of the story, it's a little dry, lacking in comedy. But then again, it's a romantic drama, not a romantic comedy.		2011 Directed by: Lone Scherfig Screenplay by: David Nicholls Starring: Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess
As is the nature of the two media, movies can never be exactly the same as the novel. But the problem with this one is that they tried to; no storylines were removed. Almost everything was there, just shortened into mostly meaningless segments. I personally could have done with one less event in their lives, and perhaps a different ending, but they tried to be as faithful as possible. What we have here is a movie about a relationship, but the novel was about the people. They traded in character depth and development so we can see them in their more attractive years falling in and out of love. I wasn’t very familiar with Jim Sturgess, having seen him play skinny, slightly nerdy, not as confident kids. Dexter is a different breed of guy. Just has high on self-confidence as he is on drugs and alcohol, he gets by on his looks – literally – he’s a TV host. Although the different characteristics of Dexter weren’t explicitly shown in the movie, Sturgess brought them out in him perfectly. Emma is a more complex character, with significant evolution to who she is throughout the years, except none of that is in the movie, so it just wasn’t really possible for Hathaway to portray her as a more interesting person. I would assume that watching “One Day” without the benefit of having read the novel would be a fairly confusing, empty experience. With the background that the novel gave me, I could fill in all the missing years and the unexplored layers to the characters, so there was still something to their relationship for me.

Current Status:

"One Day" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Soul Surfer: Movie Review

2011-08-14T18:52:00.000-04:00

Without the constant presence of God, "Soul Surfer" would have been more inspiring.

Based on the true story of soul surfer Bethany Hamilton, “Soul Surfer” is close to the true story, just exaggerated to make sure we don’t miss any subtle points on how perfect everybody is. Wikipedia even defines the term “soul surfer” incase you couldn’t catch the meaning that it’s about a girl who surfs for the sheer pleasure of surfing. God has put surfing in her soul, if you will.		2011 Directed by: Sean McNamara Screenplay by: too many to name Starring: AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt
The event that has defined Bethany’s life and the plot of this movie, is that at age 13 she was attacked by a shark and lost her arm. To me, and at least to some of the filmmakers, the important point here (and amazing triumph of courage) is how she maintained her composure and paddled herself back to shore. It’s the right thing to do and it’s what saved her life even though most people probably wouldn’t have been able to remain so calm. The other half of the filmmakers, and likely the real people depicted in the film, believe that it was God and her Christian faith that saved her. I probably should have read up on what the real Bethany Hamilton is like in real life as it would have saved me from suffering through all the preachiness. They are so sure of how good they are that the film even saw them jet off to Thailand after the devastating tsunami where, with the love of God and faith in surfing, they saved the entire country from ruin. I would love to know what some of the non-religious-based, third world country charitable organizations think of that. As the old adage says, the best actors are able to make those around them better. That must be true here as young AnnaSophia Robb is best when opposite Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt. The rest of the time she only has to appear beautiful (despite having only one arm) as the character really is just a silver-spoon, privileged mermaid. I, personally, would like to give her more credit, but even the movie tells us, she didn’t do anything herself, it was all God’s plan.

Current Status:

"Soul Surfer" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Rio: Movie Review

2011-08-12T16:35:00.001-04:00

Birds singing and dancing their way to Brazil, and that's all.

I thought it was just for fun that "Rio" rhymed with "Nemo" and that the story of "Rio" (2011) nearly mirrors the story of 'Finding Nemo" (2003). But there is actual fact in this movie. Hyacinth Macaws (blue in colour) are real birds who are endangered and native to Rio de Janeiro. The cage bird trade — which takes our beloved Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) to Minnesota — are a problem for the species. I'm pretty sure they don't talk though.		2011 Directed by: Carlos Saldanha Screenplay by: too many to name Starring: Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway
I mean form thoughts, speak in complete sentences and solve math and engineering problems. Blu can do all of that but he can't fly. When he returns to Brazil, that is the entire joke and conflict of the movie all wrapped up into one. Which makes the movie very, very short. To round it out, all the birds, animals, and even humans have to stop and sing and dance for awhile. They have to because it is done in every animated animal movie where the hero returns home (either the artificial or natural home). It's annoying here because the birds do a sort of hip-hop, rap, dance routine — the kind that is in "popular" movies. Blu's female counterpart Jewel is voiced by Anne Hathaway, who can actually sing, but she doesn't until the very end in a duet with Jesse Eisenberg who cannot sing. I liked the animation, especially of the Hyacinth Macaws (and I completely accept that they changed the female's colouring since we do need to be able to tell them apart). The animated "choreography" with the multi-coloured birds dancing was cute enough it was almost dazzling. The reason we animate animals is because it is supposed to be cute and funny, but "Rio" unfortunately, really was not funny. Perhaps it will be to kids, but for those of us who find flaws in animated children's movies, it's just not quite cute and funny enough.

Current Status:

"Rio" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

The Help: Movie Review

2011-08-11T17:04:00.002-04:00

Comedy, drama and characters who walk Hollywood's high rope.

It's the 1960s in Mississippi, and the uppity, high-class, rich white girls have returned from university with husbands in tow and babies in their bellies, and now they get to hire maids of their own. The maids of course are poor black women from the other side of the tracks (literally). Skeeter (Emma Stone), on the other hand, has returned home from university with a degree in hand, rather than a husband, and after a stop-off in New York City in a failed attempt to get a job as a writer.		2011 Directed by: Tate Taylor Screenplay by: Tate Taylor Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer
The other girls are 1960s Barbie dolls in their party dresses and perfectly coiffed hair. While Skeeter misses the maid who raised her and finds herself drawn to the world of the help as she struggles with her first job. She first gets the advice of two experienced maids working for her Barbie doll friends — Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer) — for a cleaning column, but she wants to start pushing the boundaries of the law and tell a story from their point of view. At its worst, "The Help" is a melodramatic but poignant, long drawn-out affair where a white woman happily solves racism in America and the whole world can hold hands and skip in perfect harmony. However, at its best, it's a well-crafted film that subtly holds together multiple genres as it balances that tight rope between drama and comedy. Lean too far in either direction, and you fall (which it comes close to multiple times but never actually crashes). A hidden story in this movie, is one of a girl, Skeeter, who has triumphantly navigated university, but is at a stand-still in trying to get a job and live independently, so for now, she's at home and working for the local newspaper as she forges her way in the real world. Sounds typical, doesn't it? Except there's a good chance you won't even notice this story because it is hidden beneath all the class-divides, racial-divides and friendship-divides. There's even a character in here who will surprise you: Celia Foote played by Jessica Chastain. Although I generally know better than to listen to plastic, talking Barbies who described Celia as white trash, I still believed them. The layers of her cluelessness and my surprise were delightful and entertaining to unravel. It's dramatic because this is a story of inequality. The help get treated is if they are "less than" while the southern belles act as if they are "more than." As said before Skeeter wants this to be about the maids' point of view, and as you can guess, they are mostly sad stories. Except for Minny's because she likes being bold. Octavia Spencer and Sissy Spacek as the mother of a mean-spirited Barbie doll are responsible for most of the comedic relief. And relief it is because they are funny. There were references to Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, "Gone with the Wind" and Margaret Mitchell. Because this is Hollywood and the excessive run time, I'm afraid they have already placed this movie in that esteemed group. It's good, it's fun and meaningful, but let's not get too carried away.

Current Status:

"The Help" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Trust: Movie Review

2011-08-09T23:04:00.001-04:00

The simple act of trusting runs deep and dramatically.

“Trust.” That’s what the online sexual predator keeps telling 14 year-old Annie (Liana Liberato). “Trust me.” Problem is, she does. Even when he keeps lying about his age, lying about where he lives, and then taking her to his motel room. This movie is about the stupid things that 14 year-old girls do. Although Annie is relatively careful she doesn’t understand what qualities good people have and what qualities evil people have.		2010 Directed by: David Schwimmer Screenplay by: Andy Bellin and Robert Festinger Starring: Liana Liberato, Clive Owen and Catherine Keener
Charlie, as Annie comes to know him, acts exactly like we would assume savvy sex offenders would act. He tells her she’s pretty just when she’s at a time that she needs to hear that. That simple word allows her to trust Charlie even though he’s almost as old as her father. While Annie trusts Charlie, she does not trust her parents or her friends. Her father doesn’t trust her, and just as bad, he doesn’t trust the FBI in running the investigation against her violator. In three simple acts, we first follow Annie’s dangerous relationship with Charlie, then the legal consequences, and then the emotional fallout when her father no longer knows how to protect his teenage daughter. I say simple, because it’s actually pretty refreshing to have a drama which doesn’t include more needless drama. I’ve commented before that I’m never sure if text on a screen is the best way to display chat-log driven films but here they showed it over top of other scenes, a very efficient way to introduce us to the character of Annie and the relationship of Annie and Charlie at the same time. Most people would assume that Annie’s actions are pretty stupid (they are) and completely unrealistic, but sadly, they’re probably mostly true. And, more specifically, that’s what this is about: A father’s inability to understand what his teenage daughter is going through, what her reactions are, and what she needs to move on. “Trust” features a stellar cast, a dramatic story told simply and straight, and effective scenes portraying exactly what they’re supposed to. The elegant Catherine Keener is as good as always, and Clive Owen shows that these are the types of roles he should be doing. Even supporting characters in minor roles were given enough that you cared about them. We already know Viola Davis is a scene-stealer from “Doubt”, and there’s a decent chance that we’ll get to know Spencer Curnutt after this small, but good, film debut. It’s cool knowing that I am no longer a stupid 14 year-old girl who watched “Friends” and laughed at Ross’s over-the-top mannerisms. And now I get to keenly watch a cogent drama subtly directed by David Schwimmer.

Current Status:

"Trust" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Dear Lemon Lima: Movie Review

2011-08-07T21:48:00.001-04:00

A smart, boy-obsessed girl creating a unique, quirky indie.

I have discovered a missing genre in the American film landscape: the smart, quirky girl teen comedy. Most notably with “Rushmore” (1998) and filmmakers like Wes Anderson, the smart, isolated male teen have become heroes in quirky indie films. Up until now, there hasn’t really been a female equivalent. But here comes “Dear Lemon Lima” where our heroine is awkward and boy-obsessed, but she’s also ambitious, kind-hearted and smart, and those are the qualities that drive this film.		2009 (with 2011 DVD release) Directed by: Suzi Yoonessi Screenplay by: Suzi Yoonessi Starring: Savanah Wiltfong and Shayne Topp
Set in Alaska, Vanessa (or Nessa, as those close to her, and we, can call her) is half Eskimo, but not by choice. It’s not that she wants to disown her Native heritage but it’s her father who is Eskimo and he left when she was too young to remember him. She has a massive crush on Philip and after he “breaks up” with her, she transfers to his private school. And this school, in a backwards, conservative way, demands her to wear her race on her sleeve. The characteristics that Nessa portrays are the same qualities that this film has. Her and Philip are smart. They speak in quips usually reserved for linguist perfectionists and they are extremely entertaining. They know sign language—just for the art of knowing it, and they know Spanish—to the delight of their Spanish teacher. It’s also a delight for us in a fantastic scene where in class they have a debate about the distinctions of a good leader. All good films must build to a conflict. Here the conflict is in the school’s Snowstorm Survivor Competition (held in summer even though “there’s no such thing as global warming”) which is another backwards, conservative attempt for the school to show pride in their Native heritage. Philip and Nessa are two team captains. He built his team with the popular, strong kids while she built hers with the small, weak but compassionate kids. You can guess how this underdog sports story plays out. For a comedy, it's not all that funny, and for such smart and charming lead characters, the supporting ones are just annoying. But for a quirky indie teen coming-of-age story, it mixes in the perfect amount of female passion. There’s no shortage of ironic naming of the characters, or back-handed insults at the religious, right-wing crowd, and all with a teenage heroine who has a school-girl crush on a boy. “Dear Lemon Lima” subtly finds itself in a genre all its own.

Current Status:

"Dear Lemon Lima" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Beautiful Boy: Movie Review

2011-08-06T15:12:00.003-04:00

The beauty of love and the beast of life's realities.

“Beautiful Boy” is about people. Husband Bill (Michael Sheen) and wife Kate (Maria Bello) and their son who is in his first year of college. They have an emotionless marriage, one where things are done logically rather than with feeling. They’re separated, just not physically. Bill is going to save up money, then find an apartment, then put a down payment on it, and then move out. But then comes the news of a mass shooting at their son’s school. The police arrive at their door and the tears start flowing. But, wait, as the cops say, “There’s more.”		2010 Directed by: Shawn Ku Screenplay by: Michael Armbruster and Shawn Ku Starring: Maria Bello and Michael Sheen
Their son was the mass murderer killing 17 professors and fellow classmates and himself. Especially to Kate, and less so to Bill, they are the victims. To the media, they are the people responsible for creating a monster. This is about their coping, or attempts at coping, with immense feelings of guilt, loss, and sadness. This is not about whether or not guns kill people or people kill people. This is just about people. With the media at their door and Bill is frustrated and Kate is just confused, the film then sets up some extremely interesting dynamics. Kate’s brother Eric (Alan Tudyk) opens his house to them, but with a young and impressionable son, their sister-in-law Trish (Moon Bloodgood) isn’t quite as welcoming. The tension and repressed feelings were so palpable you could cut through it in the theatre air. Tudyk’s torn love and Bloodgood’s icy stare easily matched Sheen and Bello’s ceaseless emotional range. When giving us supporting characters whose roles in the couple’s partnership seemed obvious, both the supportive neighbour and the young, handsome writer became more than their cliché counterparts would suggest, and added substantial interest to the already engaging dynamics of all the relationships. The audience is given plenty of time to cry. Just as the immense grief of the characters can bubble up at any time, you will hear those around you burst into tears at any time. But this isn’t just about feeling pain to move on. This is about people. And the characters here do interesting things during extraordinary times in the response to everyone around them. Kate is told that what they are going through very few people have gone through. Which is true, but we can easily relate to Bill and Kate, understand them, and care for them. The extreme emotions that Bill and Kate go through are magically portrayed by the ever-charming Michael Sheen and the understated Maria Bello. But it’s more than just extreme emotions, it’s real, everyday emotions. They brought real pause for thought about the fear and grief that parents go through when their child is off at university and sounds depressed and might not be adjusting all that well. “Beautiful Boy” ends as it began—with people. With Bill and Kate and their marriage, but now with feelings. There’s more emotion than logic involved. And it’s beautiful.

Current Status:

"Beautiful Boy" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Of Gods and Men: Movie Review

2011-07-31T15:37:00.001-04:00

Of Gods and men that you don't get to know or understand.

Of monks who live their life for God, and of terrorists who we don’t know for whom they live their life. The terrorists were likely supposed to be nameless, faceless antagonists. The monks were probably supposed to be the opposite. But for a film with so much set-up, there was so little characterization and plot.		2010 Directed by: Xavier Beauvois Screenplay by: Xavier Beauvois and Etienne Comar Starring: Lambert Wilson
I’m usually not one for action, in most cases, the less the better. I am one for characters, and will find things in them to cling to even when they’re not there. But here, whether or not it was lost in translation, there was nothing to these men of God. The monastery was in a small village where nearby workers were killed by terrorists. The monks were told they needed police protection but they refused. Half of them believed they need to stay since the village needed them. The other half wanted to leave. Why the villagers needed them wasn’t entirely clear. Yes, the monastery did have a much-needed doctor, but it’s not like they provided jobs. This is based on a true story. That’s what I knew going in, and that’s all I knew coming out. I don’t know where the story’s set, or when, or what the point of it is. I wanted to be educated, and that’s mostly why I’m disappointed because I didn’t learn anything about this recent history and lifestyle. I do have a sneaking suspicion that the point of the story is about coming to inner peace in the face of outside violence by living your life for the love of a greater being. That greater being would be God. Although I don’t know which sect of religion these monks adhere to, they would likely be open to people believing in any God if it provided you with meaning, love and peace. “Of Gods and Men” is highly praised by most critics. They were probably inspired by the personal resolutions that the monks had to come to. I, on the other hand, don’t believe in any greater being. In an effort to not entirely blame this subtle film, that’s probably why I didn’t find any greater element to connect to.

Current Status:

"Of Gods and Men" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. : Movie Review

2011-07-30T12:16:00.003-04:00

Twisting your standard romantic comedy into something that's hilarious and refreshing.

Love is the be-all and end-all of life. It's crazy, it's stupid, but you have to put everything towards winning over your soul-mate. That is what all of the characters believe. Except Jacob (Ryan Gosling). He believes that people who are in love are pathetic. Thank God for Ryan Gosling. I've been saying that a lot recently, but it's true. He makes everything he's in better.		2011 Directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa Screenplay by: Dan Fogelman Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone
Here, he wants to improve Cal (Steve Carell). Cal's wife (Julianne Moore) has announced she wants a divorce, so he jumps out of the car and winds up at a very swanky bar. The bar is basically Jacob's turf where he knows how to win over all women and get them to sleep with him. Disgusted by Cal's pathetic demeanor, we then get a man-makeover. The best part of this movie is that they make everything funny. From divorce, to objectifying women, to inappropriate soul-mates, to depression, everything is funny. It's not darkly comic or making you laugh out of awkwardness, but taking real situations and making them genuinely funny. I frequently found myself laughing just waiting for Gosling's next line. His comedic chemistry between both Carell and Emma Stone was perfect. Analeigh Tipton, a young Liv Tyler-type actress, plays the babysitter with the inappropriate crush, but I liked her. She added another layer to the role with a little bit of sassiness and a fresh take to the character. "Crazy, Stupid, Love." is supposed to be your standard romantic comedy, where you know exactly what you're getting. But it is directed by the comic geniuses behind "I Love You Phillip Morris" and "Bad Santa", and you should know by that that this really isn't all the predictable. It has twists. I know, a romantic comedy with twists! They're inventive, fun, and most importantly, hilarious.

Current Status:

"Crazy, Stupid, Love." is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Cowboys & Aliens: Movie Review

2011-07-29T21:55:00.003-04:00

Action heroes versus cowboys and aliens where thinking is not allowed.

"Cowboys & Aliens" is actually just Daniel Craig versus cowboys and aliens. It's very handy that he has an alien countdown timer bracelet on his wrist that doubles as a special alien killing machine. It works better than guns and knives which is all that real cowboys have. But Jake Lonergan (Craig) doesn't know how he got that bracelet, or what his name is, or who he is. He does know English.		2011 Directed by: Jon Favreau Screenplay by: Too many to name Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde
It's lucky for us that he knows English because at every break in the action he can utter every cliché line imaginable — but then again, what action movie is complete without "Let's get outta here!" being said at least once? The horrendous dialogue gives way to Indians speaking a made up language and disgusting aliens who don't speak but prod at you with three gooey fingers. The aliens are here to discover our weaknesses. Although we, as human beings (and especially the cowboys that are passed off as human beings in Hollywood movies), have a lot of weaknesses, at no point is there an examination of our weaknesses or how the aliens are going to exploit them. Obviously it was just said because that is what is supposed to be said in an alien movie. The mystery surrounding Daniel Craig's character in the beginning is then completely solved with a simple flashback soon after. I think at the 30 minute mark after we had a big battle between the cowboys and the aliens, the filmmakers then realized that Hollywood movies are supposed to be two hours long. So they then started a new nonsense story. This time surrounding Olivia Wilde's character since the target audience would rather see her naked than Daniel Craig. But just kidding, it's PG-13, there's no nudity. "Cowboys & Aliens" is a mix of western, science fiction and action, and you'll just have to watch to find out how they add vampires to that mix. No popular movie is complete without them. Olivia Wilde's character tells us the secret on how to view this, "you have to stop thinking." Literally. But why should I have to?

Current Status:

"Cowboys & Aliens" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Tell No One: Movie Review

2011-07-28T22:20:00.001-04:00

A thriller where every detail is presented, explored and explained.

A slowly-paced thriller, “Tell No One” tells us everything we need to know. And I mean everything. No potential detour is left unexplored. Eight years after his wife’s death, Alex (François Cluzet) is still picking up the pieces of his life and the pieces of her murder. This film has a great mix of background information, action, plot twists, and enough thought to piece it all together.		2006 Directed by: Guillaume Canet Screenplay by: Guillaume Canet and Philippe Lefebvre Based on the novel by Harlan Coben Starring: François Cluzet
There are murders committed eight years ago, current murders and possible murders if things don’t get straightened out quickly. Alex finds that he’s at the center of it all as a perennial suspect. Why? Because when a wife is killed, it’s always the husband. There are bad guys who want to kill him, bad guys who want to frame him, bad guys who want to save him, cops who are convinced it’s him, but then there’s always a good cop who just wants the truth. The truth is an interesting concept in this film. There are so many bits of information presented that we need explained and at no point during the course of the film will we actually be able to put it all together accurately. Although I probably shouldn’t speak for anybody but myself. I wasn’t able to piece it together because I was thinking in terms of regular thrillers. But the “truth”, or running narrative to the whole thing is something that’s usually only found in dramas. The number of details created and solved is impressive. Every seemingly insignificant scene is there for a reason and every loose thread is tied up (in an awfully bulky ball of yarn). I probably could have done with one less thread. As I mentioned in my review of Guillaume Canet’s current film “Little White Lies,” he has a problem with getting to the point quickly. The point here takes over two hours to arrive at. Good luck at reciting the whole film after it’s finished, or unraveling all the crimes that occur, but “Tell No One” is a thriller that you will want to think your way through and Guillaume Canet is a filmmaker that you will want to be introduced to.

Current Status:

"Tell No One" is available on DVD. Originally titled "Ne le dis à personne."

A Film with Me in It: Movie Review

2011-07-27T23:28:00.000-04:00

Sometimes dark comedies just don't work.

"A Film with Me in It" is dark, it’s Irish, it’s indie. It’s almost everything that it claims to be, it’s just not funny. I’m going to blame that on the characters. They’re not real people, they’re caricatures of the epitome of what it means to be a loser. Mark (Mark Doherty) and Pierce (Dylan Moran) are broke and jobless, and they’re too incompetent to even know that they’re broke and jobless, let alone how to not be.		2008 (with 2011 DVD release) Directed by: Ian Fitzgibbon Screenplay by: Mark Doherty Starring: Dylan Moran and Mark Doherty
One is a screenwriter and the other’s an actor, and they’ve decided to make a movie. When Mark’s girlfriend Sally asks, "with what money?" Mark does not understand what she means. "Money! Like, real money, what is required to live in the real world!" Mark still has no clue what she’s talking about. Yes, that joke is funny, but it also begs the question how did Mark even get a girlfriend in the first place? Questions like that are never answered. We’re just supposed to laugh at these imbeciles rather than get to know them or understand them. Their movie is going to be like an Irish "Fargo" and they kidnap somebody with money. As you can guess with most dark comedies, life starts imitating art. But when most-likely-innocent, under-developed characters and animals are killed (not murdered just killed accidentally), I couldn’t follow their humourless foibles. If they gave me actual characters, like real people whom I could connect to, "A Film With Me in It" could probably at least be watchable. But as is, every plot twist is meaningless because there is no development or understanding to anything anybody says or does.

Current Status:

"A Film with Me in It" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Little White Lies: Movie Review

2011-07-26T22:21:00.002-04:00

You will laugh and cry as you are sure to find at least one character to care about.

“Little White Lies” is a multi-relationship drama; one about love, loss and life. It has witty situations, witty lines, and a near-fatal accident. Oh yes, this is an attempt at the hard-to-write comedy-tragedy genre. Thankfully, it doesn’t really fail, but instead of being overly comedic or tragic, it plays out mostly dramatically.		2010 Directed by: Guillaume Canet Screenplay by: Guillaume Canet Starring: Marion Cotillard, François Cluzet and Benoît Magimel
There are likely cultural differences to impact how the different audiences relate to this film. It opens with Ludo at a club, partying it up, kissing girls, doing drugs and then speeding through red lights just to get hit by a truck. Based on the other characters’ actions and reactions, and other (French) descriptions I have read, Ludo is described as a guy who loves his friends and loves life, living every moment to the fullest. Whereas I would describe him as a guy with a death wish. Regardless, he is now in intensive care, but his friends still want to go on vacation. Making these characters likable, navigating the comedy-tragedy structure, and all the while keeping us entertained, writer and director Guillaume Canet has set himself up with an almost impossible film to write well. But as a viewer, you just have to find one character you can relate to or empathize with. Everybody is friends so the others will just naturally fall into place. For me, this film succeeded the most in making me feel as though I was part of the group. I laughed when they laughed, I cried when they cried, and I too just wanted to forget about life and hang out in the water. Because of that inclusion, I never felt too bored during the excessive two and a half hour run-time. But no relationship drama should ever be that long. I’m going out on a limb and saying that Guillaume Canet is a young, French Woody Allen, or at least he has the potential to become a hopefully-still-young, French Woody Allen. “Little White Lies” is a dialogue-driven, beautifully shot exposé about modern relationships with fully developed characters. He hasn’t yet mastered the fine balance between comedy and tragedy, or how to get to the point quickly, and I want him to cast himself, but hopefully I haven’t placed unfair expectations onto him. Each character is having their own personal crisis usually involving the fact that a former lover doesn’t like them anymore. That misery coupled with Ludo’s tragedy can lead to an awfully somber vacation, but I quite liked the fact that they had their fun during the day and then usually when the alcohol came out, so did the tears and anger. The lies eluded to in the title are more just obvious truths that are barely even concealed, but that doesn’t make for nearly as catchy a title. Because these characters are just so well developed, there are always more truths to discover about them. “Little White Lies” is for drama lovers. You will laugh and you will cry and if you are sure to find a character to connect to, then this film is worth discovering. Apparently France has long since known about the talent that is Canet, now might be the time for the rest of the world to discover him too.

Current Status:

"Little White Lies" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Submarine: Movie Review

2011-07-24T15:22:00.002-04:00

Fresh, funny and twisted turns to this quirky coming-of-age tale.

“Submarine” is Welsh. It opens, at least in North America it does, with a letter from its protagonist (Oliver) to Americans; educating us that Wales is a country located next to England. Although thankful that America has not yet invaded his country, Oliver informs us that this is an important film which we should treat with the utmost respect.		2010 Directed by: Richard Ayoade Screenplay by: Richard Ayoade Starring: Craig Roberts and Sally Hawkins
Don’t worry, it’s okay to laugh; you’re supposed to. This is a teen coming-of-age comedy. Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) is like a young, Welsh hero of a Wes Anderson film. Gangly and awkward he struggles with popularity in school, but when he imagines his own funeral, the entire country mourns. He bullies one girl to try and impress another but then writes a long letter not so much repenting his guilt but teaching her how to be cool. The dialogue, like Oliver, is precocious but hilarious with a surprisingly fresh feel considering how tired the genre has become. Oliver tries to win the girl and become the best boyfriend in the world, and he also has to be the best son in the world to save his parents’ marriage. In both adventures, he uses psychology books (usually found in routine searches of his parents’ bedroom) to ensure his actions accurately reflect his intentions. If you can guess how his plans may go awry, then you are the right audience for this very funny film. His father, Lloyd (Noah Taylor) is a depressed marine biologist, while his mother Jill (Sally Hawkins) is inappropriately attracted to their neighbour, an old boyfriend of hers. He’s a mystic, theatrical performer, and Oliver and Lloyd are the only ones that see it for the nonsense that it is. Lloyd is like a grown-up, Welsh hero of a Wes Anderson film and I loved how they included the father of the protagonist as a main character and showed that although he was more mature, still not any more in tune with the ways of the world around him. It has some slightly dark twists, but “Submarine” succeeds because it never lets up the humour or the quirky tone. Funny? Yes. Important? No, but I certainly get the joke.

Current Status:

"Submarine" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010) - The comedy and drama of a teen checking himself into a mental institution.

Art School Confidential (2006) - The hilarity and pretentiousness of surviving art school.

The Trotsky (2009) - Smart and funny as a teen believing he is the reincarnate of Leon Trotsky is stuck in a public high school.

Good Neighbours: Movie Review

2011-07-23T12:24:00.003-04:00

So much set-up, so little purpose.

Horror movies are generally not good. Good comedies, although hard to write well, are easier to find. I normally wouldn’t recommend anybody attempt a horror comedy, but “Good Neighbours” is Jacob Tierney and Jay Baruchel’s follow-up to “The Trotsky” (2009) and I couldn’t pass up that potential. The result though is something that’s not scary and not very funny.		2010 Directed by: Jacob Tierney Screenplay by: Jacob Tierney Starring: Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire and Scott Speedman
“The Trotsky” mixed Russian political history with teen coming-of-age comedy and it was brilliant. “Good Neighbours” starts off with the Québec separation referendum in 1995, and frustratingly, they didn’t do anything with that. I guess it was just supposed to be another check mark for as many Canadian references that you can put in a film. Victor (Jay Baruchel) is an elementary school teacher and new to Montreal; Louise (Emily Hampshire) is a waitress and lives with her cats; Spencer (Scott Speedman) is in a wheelchair and he’s handsome. “Tragically handsome,” as the gossiping ladies like to say. It’s a good role for Speedman who has struggled to get away from the “cute” role that “Felicity” pigeon-holed him into, so he might as well embrace his looks. Here, he’s supposed to smile at the camera and look cute and evil at the same time. They all live in the same apartment building in a neighbourhood that is being terrorized by a serial killer and rapist. This is a comedy but it’s hard to figure out which parts to laugh at since rape and murder aren’t all that funny. More deaths occur and more reasons to kill other people become apparent. Our three heroes / nonsensical characters each become potential suspects and potential serial killers in the making. We spent a long time being introduced to all of the characters which did provide for an interesting atmosphere but not an entertaining one. It didn’t lead to anywhere fruitful. The plot which then became painfully apparent involved lots of blood, sex and sex jokes. Exactly the types of things you would expect to find in an unintentionally-funny horror flick. But this is a horror which is supposed to be funny. It was kind of funny but too stupid to be scary and too stupid to be enjoyable enough.

Current Status:

"Good Neighbours" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Meek's Cutoff: Movie Review

2011-07-16T15:31:00.003-04:00

A journey not about the destination but which prejudices to fight to stay alive.

As bleak as the 1845 Oregon landscape they are traversing, “Meek’s Cutoff” is about the arduous journey three wayward families are taking. Their trip is at first to get to a better life, but later it becomes just about finding water. Although the film is less about their voyage and more about the characters and their decisions.		2010 Directed by: Kelly Reichardt Screenplay by: Jon Raymond Starring: Michelle Williams and Will Patton
They originally decided to follow an ignorant mountain man, Stephen Meek (Bruce Greenwood), who could talk the talk but couldn’t actually walk them towards anywhere useful—like water so they wouldn’t die. It seemed to be mostly the husbands who made the decision, because after all they’re the important ones, no? The wives just had to cook, clean, fetch fire wood, and knit and sew their clothes. But as were the times they took the lesser role. Emily (Michelle Williams), the wife of the older and more in-charge man Soloman (Will Patton), was very apprehensive about Meek’s leading abilities. But she gave in to fear when a Native Indian appeared on the horizon. From here, we take a very interesting look at racism. Not only hunger and thirst can threaten their judgement, but also trust, confidence and authority within their own group. The feminist fight for equality is only on the surface for the beginning of the film, it takes a sort of back seat to the questions of racism and then becomes a useful tool to examine it from. More threatening than the ineptness of Meek or the physical presence of the Indian, is that these issues are still present in today’s society. And we don’t have to go far to find water. In fact, I had water in the form of ice cubes in my cup of iced tea in my hand as I sat in a sheltered cinema. “Meek’s Cutoff” is a minimalist film where you are not meant to get comfortable. You have to sit there uncomfortably as the characters venture forth in the lonely terrain and not necessarily to anywhere specifically. It’s a western only in setting and it reminds me more of psychological dramas or Jim Jarmusch character studies.

Current Status:

"Meek's Cutoff" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Faith, Fraud, & Minimum Wage: Movie Review

2011-07-15T23:02:00.003-04:00

Dramatic entanglements of faith, fraud, & minimum wage in an interesting enough tale.

Nately, Nova Scotia is the type of small, quirky fictional town that small, quirky Canadian films are set in. All of the residents are religious, so much so that they don't like the new, young minster since his sermons are unorthodox. They especially don't like Casey since she's a very proud non-denominational atheist and she throws this in their faces.		2010 Directed by: George Mihalka Screenplay by: Josh MacDonald Starring: Callum Keith Rennie and Martha MacIsaac
Casey is also the type of character that all these films have: the smart, independent teenage rebel. The somewhat interesting new dimension that Casey has is that she's only a rebel because she's trying to fill the shoes of her tragedy-ridden sister. She's also a caring soul in her heart because she's using her minimum wage job at Krowne Donuts to pay the bills for her grief-stricken father (Callum Keith Rennie). The fraud part, a nice combination of faith and minimum wage, gets introduced early when Casey throws a cup of coffee at the wall and decides that it looks like Jesus Christ. She uses this to her financial benefit as the many faithful followers are sure to pray wherever they think God is. They go where He goes. Most of this description makes it sound like a quirky comedy, but "Faith, Fraud, & Minimum Wage" decided to take the drama route as we follow Casey as she sees how her actions affect those around her. I think I would have liked it more as a comedy, but it is still a well written film where we care about the characters. This is an independent, low budget Canadian film, one that is incredibly lucky to get Callum Keith Rennie since the other unknown actors are generally unknown for a reason. Films like this have very little to use to their advantage, except story. More often than not, for a movie like this to get made, it needs to be original. And oddly enough, that's where "Faith, Fraud, & Minimum Wage" fails. Stories about finding images of Christ on a wall and using that for personal reasons have been done many times before. Every aspect of this film was done well enough—in particular, the struggles of the young minister were quite effective and Andrew Bush could potentially become a promising actor. Inventive twists and turns to the story never came but it is still good enough to keep me interested.

Current Status:

"Faith, Fraud, & Minimum Wage" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives: Movie Review

2011-07-14T19:02:00.002-04:00

There may be something to this appealing but disturbing and possibly offensive film.

With a mystifying title like "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives", it begs viewers to be open to transcendental ideas like the belief of past lives, forms of the spiritual world, and the transformation of the human world, the animal world and nature. I am usually open to those kinds of perceptions, at least in the world of film. When this film took those forms, I could at least appreciate it, if not understand it.		2010 Directed by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Screenplay by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Starring: Thanapat Saisaymar
Understanding such a film is not something that can ever be accomplished based on the many different meanings and also structure-less paths the film takes. There are those well versed in Thai culture and spiritual symbolism that can probably provide themselves with a little bit of meaning. For the rest of us, it's an oddly appealing, strangely disturbing, and at times, downright offensive experience. The plot itself is surprisingly mostly explainable. Boonmee is dying of kidney failure and he is taken to live out his final days with friends and relatives at a country farm. Suddenly, he is visited by the spirit of his long-deceased wife in a mostly human, part ghost-like form, and then visited by his long-lost son in an animal form. That is about where I lost track of what I was seeing. If willing to think in purely existential, spiritual philosophies, the rest were likely visualizations of what Boonmee thinks the internal thoughts and feelings of his life would take if they were in human, animal or nature forms. There was occasional dialogue. At the beginning Boonmee was defending a Laotian man, upon whom his sister-in-law assumed many negative racial stereotypes. Some viewers found this racist and were offended. But I personally I have no idea what the filmmaker was saying. A later scene had Boonmee upset about the role he played in the war, and again some unorthodox statements were made about killing people in the name of war. It is rare that a scene in a film will offend me, but that was accomplished here. In a scene involving a princess, a waterfall, and a catfish, I was physically disgusted by how they chose to show whatever they were trying to say (I have no idea what they were trying to say). The A.V. Club referred to this as the notorious catfish scene, and it's good to know I'm not the only one who took offense. But Roger Ebert called it "romantic", and we clearly have different definitions of that word. Despite my objections to scenes, or the lack of understanding of almost all of it, what "Uncle Boonmee" did have throughout was visual flair. It was almost easy to watch because of the intrigue and air of magical surprise that it always held with the beautiful shots of the forest at night and red eyes staring out at you and the never-ending sounds of summer insects. I earnestly watched "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" with rapt-attention and interest and there might be something to it, but it will take a better person than me to find it.

Current Status:

"Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

The Company Men: Movie Review

2011-07-13T18:43:00.001-04:00

An underlining honesty and sincerity that makes this drama work.

These company men have been down-sized due to the failing economy of 2008 and the CEO's desire to get rich and cut the slack. It certainly has the possibility to be some melodramatic sob story that life can suck for rich people too. Surprisingly, there's an air of honesty and sincerity to "The Company Men" that it really is just a good drama.		2010 Directed by: John Wells Screenplay by: John Wells Starring: Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones
Bobby (Ben Affleck) has just lost his plum executive job; Phil (Chris Cooper) is about to lose his job which he has worked his whole life from the floor to get; and Gene (Tommy Lee Jones), their former boss, might lose his job since he doesn't agree with how the company is doing business. People generally don't like Ben Affleck and people don't like Bobby, some rich jerk whining about not being able to keep his Porsche and his golf club membership. But Bobby underwent some subtle transformations as his privileged life had to change and Affleck showed that with earnest emotion that he was my favourite character of the bunch. There were some interesting parallels between their home life and their professional status. Bobby and his wife seemed quite content to being at odds with each other from the moment he steps through the door, but he also has the best chance of landing back on his feet. Phil and his wife probably have the best loving and supportive marriage but Phil is least likely to find work again. Gene has the most dishonest marriage and he and his wife talk to each other in cheery voices with malicious undertones. But at work, Gene is the one with a conscience. A somber Kevin Costner in an under-utilized supporting role provides the few moments of comic relief. But this is just a drama with the positive resolutions at the end and the story-lines progressing as you expect. There's no greater meaning and no hidden agenda. But sometimes it's good to just watch a good drama.

Current Status:

"The Company Men" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

3 Idiots: Movie Review

2011-07-12T21:15:00.001-04:00

A college comedy, and joking aside, they're not idiots.

A college comedy. You know the genre, movies where idiots get into college and then continue to behave as idiots, and usually by the end they get a girl. "3 Idiots" is not such a movie. Mostly because our three protagonists are not idiots. Rancho is a smart-alecky trouble-maker but he's not an idiot. Raju and Farhan might fail a lot of exams, but they try hard and they have good hearts. Same goes for the movie.		2009 (with 2011 DVD release) Directed by: Rajkumar Hirani Screenplay by: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi Starring: Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi and Madhavan
The movie itself goes through a lot of ups and downs. We start with a plot, we think. A group of "idiots" need to find Rancho, we don't know who he is yet, but I was intrigued enough that I wanted to find him too. After introducing us to all the characters we had to go through some low-end humour to get to some smart humour. In most classes, Rancho is there ready to teach his teachers how to teach. Arrogant professors generally don't like that. But I liked it. By using humour we slowly get to the point of learning engineering versus learning, that there's a difference between knowledge and memorization. This is a Bollywood movie in every way—from the vivid colours, to the songs, to the dancing and singing. I'm sure that's all normal, but it seemed out of place in a male college comedy. What also seemed out of place was the over two-hours run time. I thought it was over countless of times but they always seemed to find another story-line to wrap up. Although it was too long for me, it was impressive that they actually paid attention to the story. Compared to Hollywood comedies, it was impressive that there was even a story in the first place. The characters were all endearing and funny, and the lead, Rancho (Aamir Khan) had so much intelligence, friendly energy and a sparkle that he could probably carry any movie. "3 Idiots" has its faults with an overly-long length, too many story-lines and some immature humour, but there's enough heart, smarts and originality to remain enjoyable.

Current Status:

"3 Idiots" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Feed the Fish: Movie Review

2011-07-11T18:25:00.002-04:00

A quirky dark comedy turns into a predictable romantic comedy.

"Feed the Fish" is one of those quirky, dark comedies set in the dead of winter in the dead of Wisconsin. That's what I thought it was, and I was mostly right. "Dark" is the part that I was wrong about. But forgive me because it started in Venice, California with our hero Joe (Ross Partridge) talking about his successful children's book "Mr. Kitty Feeds the Fish" which was a hit because kids love violence!		2009 (with 2011 DVD release) Directed by: Michael Matzdorff Screenplay by: Michael Matzdorff Starring: Ross Partridge, Tony Shalhoub and Katie Aselton
The irreverent humour at the beginning — like how there will likely be a lawsuit if his second book has kids stuck under the ice, or when his best friend was flushed down a toilet — eroded into a predictable romantic comedy. I do love the fusion of different genres and I even like romantic comedies, but the beginning was better than what it became. Suffering from writer's block, Joe is off to Ellison Bay, Wisconsin with a friend. JP is there for the Polar Bear Plunge, Joe is there for rejuvenation. But upon arrival, Joe meets a girl, and JP meets with a joke that doesn't work, a badger attacked his groin area. There were a whole series of re-attaching testicle jokes—none of them work. The girl is beautiful, single, smart, strong and independent. Of course she is, she's the main squeeze, supporting character, did you expect her to be anything less than perfect? But her father is a gun-toting, unpleasant sheriff (Tony Shalhoub) and Joe has to prove that he's worthy of his daughter's affections. "Feed the Fish" would have been funnier, more original, and authentic if they stayed with the dark comedy beginning. For every witty joke, there would be two disctinctly unfunny jokes (usually about testicles and/or a badger), which is too bad because this is a better movie than that.

Current Status:

"Feed the Fish" is currently available as a new release DVD.

Brother's Justice: Movie Review

2011-07-10T22:02:00.002-04:00

Dax Shepard is smart, funny and charming, "Brother's Justice" really isn't any of that.

A "documentary" about Dax Shepard retiring from comedy so he can pursue his dream of becoming a Martial Arts action star. Seriously. Ok, maybe not so seriously. The beginning has Dax and his producing partner Nate Tuck going from agent to lawyer to producers to actors to directors to sell his karate idea “Brother’s Justice”, well, at this stage it’s really just a title. When it’s funny, it’s very funny.		2010 Directed by: David Palmer and Dax Shepard Screenplay by: Dax Shepard Starring: Dax Shepard and Nate Tuck
The problem is, when it’s not funny, it’s not anything. For an hour and a half run time, it’s awfully long for a one-joke movie. Because really, that’s all this is, one joke about Shepard trying to sell Hollywood on the idea of him becoming an action star in the ilk of Steven Segal. The idea that this documentary is serious is supposed to be funny, but I can’t take this seriously. I’ve seen enough of Shepard in both comedy and drama roles that I know he’s not actually this stupid. It’s cool that so many Hollywood hot-shots were willing to make themselves look like arrogant jerks for the sake of Dax Shepard and this (documentary? movie? —I don’t know what to call it). At least their parts mostly work because Jon Favreau, Ashton Kutcher, Bradley Cooper and Tom Arnold can all do comedy and drama. Ironically, unlike Dax’s “successful” comedies like “Employee of the Month” (2006) and “When in Rome” (2010), “Brother’s Justice” actually has all the elements of a good story: a sympathetic character (who doesn’t want to see a good guy succeed in Hollywood?), conflict (Dax thinks it’s a good idea, Hollywood does not), drama, comedy, and then the idea that friendship rises above everything. But none of that really works here. Unintentionally, “Brother’s Justice” just proves that Dax Shepard is best suited for comedy, or maybe that’s its entire purpose. I never was sure if I was supposed to take this seriously or as one long joke. I’m sorry Dax, but I will always highly value your dramatic work in “Parenthood” and “The Freebie” (2010).

Current Status:

"Brother's Justice" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Beginners: Movie Review

2011-07-09T17:44:00.003-04:00

The relationships of life told with drama, humour, subtlety, and thoughtfulness.

“Beginners” is one of those life dramas where Oliver (Ewan McGregor) has to take care of his dying father, Hal (Christopher Plummer). Except Hal has just announced that he’s gay and has hooked up with a much younger man, Andy. Oliver hasn’t been able to carry on any relationship but meets the mysterious Anna (Mélanie Laurent) just as he’s grieving over the loss of his father. Oh, and there’s a talking dog.		2010 Directed by: Mike Mills Screenplay by: Mike Mills Starring: Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer
It’s also one of those kinds of films that tells a story perfectly suited for the medium. There’s well written dialogue, beautiful people playing characters with sad eyes, but then most of the story moves along with art, photographs, and near-silent scenes. Oliver is the sad one but Ewan McGregor is just such a captivating actor that the film can still remain joyful with him as the main character. It’s hard to find somebody as captivating on screen as McGregor, but Mélanie Laurent is. It almost doesn’t matter how lackluster their relationship is because it’s fun just watching them. Above all else, “Beginners” is a relationship film. The father son relationship between Oliver and Hal, Hal’s relationship with his gay boyfriend Andy, the romantic relationship between Oliver and Anna, and the relationship between Oliver and his dysfunctional mother. The story between Oliver and Hal and between Hal and Andy are the only two that take place in the same time. The rest get told by jumping back and forth in time. And that’s where most of the brilliance of this film comes in. It has the best structure of any multi-relationship film I have seen and there are some subtle and thoughtful parallels that he draws between all of them. Another impressive element is that this is only the second feature film for writer, director Mike Mills. There was a lot of discussion in the theatre as to whether he was from Plummer or McGregor’s generation. He seemed to have a perfect handle on both, and even better, we should be able to expect him to reach even greater heights in his future. Contrary to popular belief, “Beginners” is not a film about homosexuality. Yes that is the only main characteristic about Hal and Andy, but this film isn’t about them. It’s about finding who you are in life and the hope of finding that out sooner rather than later and then the lessons that can come with the death of a loved one. It’s not about a talking dog—after all, dogs can understand up to 150 words, but they don’t talk.

Current Status:

"Beginners" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Horrible Bosses: Movie Review

2011-07-08T17:48:00.003-04:00

Adding coarse and sexual content to make a plot-rich story funny.

In the vein of "The Hangover" (2009), "Horrible Bosses" has three friends taking a wild trip to—well, jail, most likely. They mean well, but when you spend your free time drinking at a bar complaining about your bosses, reckless plans are bound to be hatched. But I'm glad they do. It's a premise with lots of possibilities, never quite knowing which turns they would take, and they were all hilarious.		2011 Directed by: Seth Gordon Screenplay by: Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis
The wild heights they reach are mostly with profanity and sexual explicitness. In fact, there’s an entire scene about where the “line” is and if they’ve crossed it. As you can guess, that line has long since been crossed, re-drawn and repeatedly crossed. At the beginning we meet our three protagonists, Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) working in decent jobs but for crazy assholes. Their bosses all have titles, but it would be wrong of me to string that many expletives together. They’re not being serious about killing their bosses, but before we know it they’re putting together haphazard, drunken plans. It’s the type of story that seems plausible at first but then somewhere along the way, we don’t really know where, reality is thrown out the window. It’s an R-rated comedy where the plot is central, characters are secondary but still important, and last but not least there are funny lines. For that, it’s smart. The dark comedy works because of the ensemble of characters, the three hapless adventurists and their really horrible bosses, each played by actors who can say comedy lines with straight faces and aren’t scared to get dirty. Some are just really good and what they normally do, like Bateman as the normal, straight man and Sudeikis as the obnoxious womanizer. While others are stepping out of their comfort zone and showing some real comedy skills, like Jennifer Aniston as an over-the-top, inappropriate seductress and Colin Farrell as a skinny, coked-out criminal. Kevin Spacey, equally adept at comedy and drama, is of course great here. I don’t know Charlie Day all that well but he made me laugh in “Going the Distance” and he made me laugh really hard here. His whiny voice is perfect for the role of Dale because he’s manic and paranoid to begin with but with his head in a bowl of cocaine he’s going to need to become even more manic and paranoid. “Horrible Bosses” is more silly than it is dark as the crimes occur after we’ve been removed from reality. But it’s also as funny as pure comedies come. This is one of those movies that need to be as profane and sexually explicit as it is. “Horrible Bosses” does it all with plot and jokes which are inventive and funny.

Current Status:

"Horrible Bosses" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Kaboom: Movie Review

2011-07-07T21:28:00.004-04:00

College students that are over-sylized and over-sexed.

Described as trippy, entertaining, and very funny, "Kaboom" is actually just a very stylized version of the college-aged sexual exploration. It gets interesting when it mixes sex with a thriller plot, but colour-coating over-sexed college students doesn't make them anymore profound.		2010 Directed by: Gregg Araki Screenplay by: Gregg Araki Starring: Thomas Dekker
Every shot has a colour filter to make sure that every scene is either blue, or pink, or yellow. Multi-coloured lights blur out definition in the scenery, and background sets are either in soft focus, or all black, or bright white. It's a useful technique for low budget films to not even show a question of money, but it also removes the film from reality. We follow Smith (Thomas Dekker) as he tries to define his current state of sexuality. According to him, he is not straight, not homosexual, nor bisexual. He likes men, particularly his blonde-haired, surfer roommate Thor, but he sleeps with women, mostly just one woman, London, but then also a couple of various men. We also move in and out of reality and into his dream world with Smith. He has a bit of a hard time deciphering what is real and what is a dream, and we have a significantly harder time differentiating the two. In either the dream world or the real world, a thriller plot develops involving unknown men chasing Smith, a mysterious red-haired girl, and a possible dead body. Unravelling this mystery seemed like it was going to be quite interesting, but then the film just took us back to the sexual misadventures of Smith and his friends. By the time we delve back into the mystery, the line between dreams and reality have blurred even farther, and instead of liking or caring about the characters, we have grown tired of their over-intellectualizing prattle, self-obsessed demeanor, and their constant bed-hopping. We never grow attached to them, we just form a sort of curiosity to see if they will ever become relatable. "Kaboom" is a modern, stylized sex ed thriller. The dialogue is even realistic because know-it-all college hippies really do talk like that. But do you want to hear college students philosophize their way out of doing assignments and into doing everybody they meet? I didn't think so.

Current Status:

"Kaboom" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

The Tree of Life: Movie Review

2011-07-05T18:42:00.005-04:00

Life in the grandest, and almost inexplicable, of scales.

"The Tree of Life" is not a film that can be understood, nor can it be explained. It also does not want to be described in any one way. We jump from decade to decade, from solar system to solar system, and from era to era in the history of the planet. As specific as can be allowed, it's about life, also the universe. In parts, it's about family or childhood, but certainly, not on the whole.		2011 Directed by: Terrence Malick Screenplay by: Terrence Malick Starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastian and Sean Penn
It's a masterpiece in its visual presentation. There are eye-popping, breath-taking and heart-stopping shots of nature beyond comparison to anything you would ever see in an IMAX nature documentary. We see Earth from beyond our atmosphere, from under the sea, and then we climb to just above the clouds—the heavens, I presume. These cinematic journeys are accompanied by an opera orchestra and Jessica Chastain's narrations of spiritual philosophies. Eventually we do settle down to one definable place and time: Waco, Texas in the 1950s. A probably typical family with the silent, reserved mother, and the strong, cruel father and their three sons behaving in a destructive manner as young boys do. Interestingly, we knew most of this before we were really introduced to them all based on a few early, near-silent scenes with the three leads, the father (Brad Pitt), the mother (Jessica Chastain) and their eldest son (Sean Penn), and with some subtle implications from the filmmaker. Some shots were clear references to birth, death and the smallness of mankind in the universe. I was beginning to assume that it would be like "Synecdoche, New York" but without defying the logic or boundaries of time-scales. When we then went back to meet some dinosaurs, my theory was clearly shot. There is even less structure to the story. Here, you're just supposed to be enveloped by the magnitude of everything on the screen. I was able to pick up on a few visual metaphors and could at least provide myself with a little meaning, but that's probably the most I could hope for. Such is life.

Current Status:

"The Tree of Life" is currently available as a new release DVD and Blu-ray.

Rory O'Shea Was Here: Movie Review

2011-07-04T21:47:00.003-04:00

Through comedy or drama, the characters are always central.

"Rory O'Shea Was Here" is a film about living life the way you want to not the way you have to. Although that's not easy for Rory O'Shea (James McAvoy) who has Muscular Dystrophy, it's especially not easy for Michael (Steven Robertson) who has Cerebral Palsy. It's also not easy for a film to depict that with heartfelt meaning and no melodrama. That is accomplished here by making it a character-driven comedy.		2004 Directed by: Damien O'Donnell Screenplay by: Jeffrey Caine Story by: Christian O'Reilly Starring: James McAvoy and Steven Robertson
James McAvoy is probably best known for his looks and then followed by his dramatic turns in "The Last King of Scotland" (2006) and Atonement (2007), but I first met him in this character-rich comedic role. McAvoy and Robertson both portrayed their disabilities perfectly but that almost seems to be besides the point when they are able to use comedy to make us care about them. Rory’s the rebel with his blonde, spiked hair and his unrelenting determination to always break the rules. Michael is the speech-impaired, lost soul who only does what the nurses at the home tell him to do—and even then, he’s usually not physically able. From there it’s a comedy of camaraderie when Rory can understand what Michael says and Michael has immediately found his new best friend. Good-natured trouble ensues. Together, Rory and Michael want to live independently without any rules. The film takes some dramatic turns as they discover that there are always rules—and girls. How comes girls and rules always seem to come hand-in-hand? The transitions between comedy and drama are barely even noticeable because of the chemistry that McAvoy and Robertson have and their effortless ease in making us care about Rory and Michael so deeply.

Current Status:

"Rory O'Shea Was Here" is available on DVD. Originally titled as "Inside I'm Dancing".

List Rankings:

Ranks #12 on Films That Introduced Me to My Favourite Actors.

The 10 Best Lesser-known Movies from the 1st Half of 2011

2011-07-03T14:04:00.000-04:00

The best indie movies that got released in January through June of 2011. None of them have gotten the advertising, nor consequently, the audience they deserve.

1. Daydream Nation
Originality from combining coming-of-age drama with a thriller. Completely creative, well written and intriguing.
-> See my full review of Daydream Nation

2. Jolene
Such a captivating character, played by soon-to-be-a-star Jessica Chastain, in an oddly alluring film.
-> See my full review of Jolene

3. Little Fish, Strange Pond (AKA: Frenemy)
Matthew Modine and Callum Blue are existential, callous criminal philosophers in this superbly written, darkly comic character study.
-> See my full review of Little Fish, Strange Pond

4. The Waterhole
Great dialogue in this smart and funny drama about leaving the bar and entering life.
-> See my full review of The Waterhole

5. That's What I Am
A coming-of-age drama based on a true story. With real heart and meaning, it's very beautiful and inspiring.
-> See my full review of That's What I Am

6. The Freebie
A deep, raw, introspective examination of a relationship. It's about a free night off from marriage but without any of the juvenile comedy.
-> See my full review of The Freebie

7. Zonad
It's about aliens—scratch that, it's about drunks pretending to be aliens—scratch that, it's about a quirky small town welcoming aliens. Either way, it's funny.
-> See my full review of Zonad

8. Midsummer Madness
A beautifully shot film set in Latvia. It's a screwball comedy with a myriad of characters all doing weirder and weirder things.
-> See my full review of Midsummer Madness

9. Bitter/Sweet
A simple and sweet romantic comedy merging the U.S. and Thai cultures, and for the most part, leaving out all the Hollywood annoyances.
-> See my full review of Bitter/Sweet

10. Every Day
A dysfunctional family dramedy that was fairly funny and with some great actors. If you didn't get to know Ezra Miller in City Island, then you will want to meet him here.
-> See my full review of Every Day

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Hesher: Movie Review

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Contagion: Movie Review

Current Status:

Friends with Benefits: Movie Review