Steve Jobs Review

iHave a vision---Michael Fassbender as technology pioneer Steve Jobs, before three major launches in Steve Jobs
                      Now that Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin have officially collaborated on a biopic of innovator Steve Jobs (who, just like comedian Bill Burr, I find overrated,) audiences can officially forget that the 2013 Ashton Kutcher-starring Jobs even happened and say that there is a real film about the man himself. I won't compare the Kutcher one to this one throughout the review but I will say that unlike the 2013 version, which felt like it was never going to end, this version flew by for me. This is probably because the 2013 film was too busy explaining things that were already known whereas this one fills in no gaps about Jobs's life. Director Boyle and screenwriter Sorkin know most people watching this film will know the basics and just want to see Michael Fassbender portray this man's struggles.

                         The way this film is set up can only be described as brilliant. The film follows Jobs before the launches of the Mac, the neXt and the iMac. However, it cleverly only shows him minutes before he must present the product. We never see him present the products. Rather, we see Jobs backstage trying (and not trying) to rectify issues he has with the people in his life as well as with himself. This technique allows the viewer to feel as if they are there with Jobs, whether he is arguing with his ex-wife (Katherine Waterson,) trading banter with his assistant (Kate Winslet,) refusing to acknowledge all of Steve Wozniak's (Seth Rogen) work, getting furious at former colleague Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) or debating ethics with John Sculley (Jeff Daniels.) This is also due to Boyle's masterful direction, which creates a sense of space while still keeping everything tight and thrilling. Also, as with 127 Hours, Boyle takes a concept with a limited location and creates ways (and not just through flashbacks) to expand the universe the film is set in. Never does the audience feel so crammed that they want to escape. There's always a feeling of genuinely expansive space.

                          The acting is terrific here. Rogen proves to be as dynamite in drama as he is in comedy while Daniels and Winslet do a great job playing the people who Jobs actually has some respect for. Meanwhile, Stuhlbarg and Waterson both give surprisingly emotional and deep performances as the two people Jobs has hurt the most (besides his daughter, played by three different excellent actresses (Perla Haney-Jardine, Ripley Sobo and Makenzie Moss) throughout the film.) The standout, however, is Fassbender. Some people have been complaining that Fassbender doesn't look much like Jobs. I find this a ridiculous complaint (it's one thing to have an opinion but come on.) I found he actually looked a fair amount like Jobs (the make up department might also be partially to thank for that) and he's so realistic and indicative of Jobs that even if you can see Fassbender, that should be gone after about five minutes.

                           Sorkin's script could have been a dry and even dour look at the life of a man who had some serious issues. However, being THE Aaron Sorkin, he has written an extremely witty and shockingly funny film featuring dialogue that is undeniably his. The way in which these characters interact feels all so real while still being as lively as can be. There were multiply times I even laughed out loud during the film and a scene late in the film between Wozniak and Jobs is as well written as films get. Boyle and Sorkin have made a film that might be constructed almost entirely out of conversations but demands to be seen in a theater due to its fast paced and witty nature. There's no way anyone can watch this film just once and get everything that's great about it but it's easier to catch a lot of it on the big screen.

                             Steve Jobs is a timely, exciting, downright brilliant film that must be seen by everyone right away. If for nothing else, see it for the amazing acting and flawless script and stay for Boyle's phenomenal directing.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language)

Mississippi Grind Review

An addict's addiction----Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn as buddies who go on a gambling road trip in Mississippi Grind
                             Mississipi Grind starts and ends with essentially the same piece of dialogue. It's not a particularly poignant piece of dialogue but the film manages to make the audience feel the weight of what is being said by the time the credits roll. With this film, co-writers-co-directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden do for gambling what Paul Thomas Anderson did for porn in Boogie Nights. They make a thoroughly enjoyable film that takes an industry people seem to take for fun and strips all the goodwill out of the industry. This film takes gambling and makes it into the least seductive, most miserable activity ever. Like I said, the film itself is great and very enjoyable but after watching it, you may never want to gamble again. Smartly, this film paints gambling as one of the worst addictions. The two main characters can't accept winning and seem insistent on throwing away any luck they have. Also, unlike last year's The Gambler, this film thoroughly explains why people would have this issue.

                                The film follows Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) and Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), two men who meet in a casino and are shocked at the skill the other seems to have. On a whim, the two decide to go on a road trip together to explore the best gambling that they can find. However, both have problems with stopping once they get going. Gerry even seems to depend on getting money from other people while the money seems to mean nothing to Curtis.

                                  What makes this film so great is the impeccable chemistry that Reynolds and Mendelsohn share. Instantly, they feel like two guys who are impressed with one another and want to spend an entire road trip together. Their banter is so good that you forget these two characters have just met and that makes the road trip fun for the audience even in the face of cripplingly sad moments.
                                 
                                      I also loved the old fashioned nature of the film. This feels like it could have come out in the 1960's or 1970's. It's as if Robert Altman came back from the dead just to make this film. The soundtrack is even filled with folk songs from decades past which adds to the invigorating energy of the film.

                                         I've always found Mendelsohn and Reynolds to be incredibly underrated actors and they prove why here. They are phenomenal and carry the light moments and the heavier moments with equal weight and skill. Boden and Fleck previously worked together on Sugar, Half Nelson and It's Kind Of A Funny Story, all films I have a strong fondness for. Add this one to that list. Although the film slows down only slighter towards the end, this is a film that knows about gambling and the problems with it but still manages to be a breezy, enjoyable road film. Even if you have no interest in gambling, it would be hard to dislike this film.
(4 and1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language)

The Walk Review

Reaching new heights---Joseph Gordon Levitt as Philippe Petit, the famous high wire walker, in The Walk
                              In my opinion, Robert Zemeckis has always been one of the most underrated directors. He's directed so many classics (Back To The Future, Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Cast Away) and yet never gets the recognition that a Martin Scorcese or a Steven Spielberg does. With his new film, The Walk, he shows why he's one of the masters of directing but also why he should sometimes pass the screenplay on to someone else. Co-written by Zemeckis and Christopher Browne, this is a fascinating story told in such a cliche, syrupy, dull way that one only wishes Zebecks could have written the film with the same skill he directed it. This is a gorgeous film visually but one that is quite frankly kind of insulting on a storytelling level.

                                  The film is the true story of Philippe Petit, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, who gives it his all despite his face showing that he knows what an unskillful script he's reading. Petit was an insane man, for all intensive purposes, who was inspired when he saw that The Twin Towers were being built. Being a man who is constantly in need of the next dangerous place to wire walk, he decides that he wants to hang his wire between the tops of The Twin Towers. Naturally, he realizes this is completely illegal and recruits a crew to help him including romantic interest Annie (Charlotte Le Bon,) a character I would criticize for being completely superfluous if it weren't based on a real person.

                                    The first 90 minutes or so are fairly dull. Philippe introduces himself standing on The Statue Of Liberty, a tactic I thought was going to only be used for a jumping off point but that the film unfortunately goes back to time and time again. It's an incredibly jarring aspect that should have been stripped out of the film entirely. Philippe then meets Annie, with whom he has zero chemistry but somehow falls in love with and then Annie and Philippe scavenge for recruits to help them, all of whom are knocked down to one very broad character trait. I would use the phrase "this isn't exactly high art" to describe the story aspect but that would be an insult to high art. This is incredibly cheap stuff.

                                       However, the last half an hour are so incredible and mind blowing that the film suddenly becomes almost worth seeing. When Philippe is up on that wire, the directing makes the audience feel there with him. As someone who doesn't exactly have a fear of heights but rather has a fear of dying from heights (I'd rather be burned or buried alive before I die from falling off somewhere high up,) I was actually sweating in the last 30 minutes. This is improved even further by the IMAX 3D, which is how you should see the film if you're going to see it. That last 30 minutes shows Zemeckis at his best and reminds everyone that he's a master of the visceral along the lines of Scorcese and Spielberg.

                                         For the last 30 minutes, I'm almost inclined to say see The Walk. The final part is amazing stuff. However, the set up is way too long and boring and the narrative style way too jarring. I would say if you have a friend or family member who works at a theater (especially one that has IMAX 3D,) ask them if you can come in for the last 30 minutes of the film. That way, you'll get all of the crab without having to work at digging it out.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG for  thematic elements involving perilous situations, and for some nudity, language, brief drug references and smoking)

Room Review

Finding love in a hopeless place---Brie Larson as a mother experiencing emotional distress, along with her son in Room
                      Room is a powerful drama unlike any other I've seen before or will likely ever see again. It is everything a movie should be and then some. The film is directed by Lenny Abrahamson who made Frank, a comedic drama about a rock band lead by a man who wears a gigantic fake head, last year. Based on these two films, Abrahamson seems to have a gift for taking incredibly weird stories and making them into some of the most humanistic films I have ever seen. He doesn't just give these characters basic traits but explores these people in ways that most filmmakers would be afraid to do. Credit must also go to Emma Donoghue, who wrote the novel which the film is based on and has written the screenplay and especially Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, who give two of the best performances I have seen in decades here. In fact, I will officially be done with the Oscars if these two don't at least get nominations.

                          I choose not to reveal the plot because I went into this film knowing absolutely nothing about it except that Larson starred and I find her to be the best young actress working today among a long list of other great young actresses (Jennifer Lawrence, Brit Marling, Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld, Shailene Woodley, Saorise Ronan, ETC.) Not even knowing the story of this film made watching it all the more impactful for me. If you have read the novel, it may even still manage to surprise you. I have yet to read the novel but I just have a feeling I'm accurate in saying that.

                           If students of film have a professor who's even a quarter of the way decent, this will be studied in classes for decades to come. Abrahamson brings a beauty and wonder to a seemingly hopeless situation and makes every single shot count. There is not a wasted moment in this entire film. Also, even though it's often incredibly difficult to watch, at only a few minutes short of two hours, I was so invested in this story, the film felt like it was under an hour to me. Abrahamson and Donoghue invest so much into this mother and son dynamic, Larson and Tremblay's characters instantly feel like real people.

                             However, this is also due to Larson and Tremblay. Larson does career best work here, even topping her brilliant lead performance in Short Term 12, a film that should have guaranteed that she would already have Oscar Nominee attached to her name. Tremblay, an actor who's been in a few other things in the past years, does breakthrough work here. He will no doubt be around for a long, long time and based on the strength of this performance, I wouldn't be shocked if he becomes the next Robert De Niro or Al Pacino. Tremblay instantly makes everything about his character so recognizable and natural that it's impossible not to feel complete sympathy for him and the same can definitely be said for Larson's character and performance.

                                I've never seen a film that even comes close to the powerfulness of Room and I doubt I ever will. This is often very tough stuff to watch but it's also very uplifting and works in every way possible. I admittedly cried from the first second to the last. Go see this film right away and make sure to bring a big box of tissues..even the most cold hearted, cynical soul will end up needing them.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language)

                             

             

The Green Inferno Review

Welcome to the jungle------Lorenza Izzo as one of a group of college students who end up getting tortured by a cannibalistic rainforest tribe in The Green Inferno
                        The Green Inferno is a slickly made, surprisingly well acted and all but competent except for one specific area (I'll get to that in  a minute) film that would have been much more acceptable had the film not been in production hell for the last few years. I like to judge movies on how good they are and nothing else but after co-writer-director Eli Roth planning to have a wide release for this all the way back in 2013 and then waiting 2 (TWO) years to actually release it, it's a completely wasted opportunity that could have been so much more. There's all but one major problem with this gore fest---the script. I understand these films aren't exactly written to stimulate my brain power but writers Roth and Guillermo Amoedo all but give the middle finger to the audience with their nonsensical script.

                           The film follows Justine (Lorenza Izzo,) a bright college student who convinces herself to go on an expedition to stop demolishing of the rainforest. The reason she decides to go is that the charismatic Alejandro (Ariel Levy) leads this eco-friendly group. After accomplishing their mission, their plane crashes and they end up being brutally tortured by a group of rainforest tribespeople who think they're the enemy.

                             Roth garnered controversy early on because the tribespeople are played by a real rainforest tribe and perhaps Roth didn't go about getting them to be in the film in the most humane way. However, that's the least of this film's worries. In fact, Roth often tries to pull sympathy for them through the situation they're in, especially with an insultingly unearned group of facts about the REAL problem done over the end credits. The first problem is that it takes more than half the movie to even get to the plot. By the time they end up with the tribe, it's almost at the hour mark and more than likely, most audience members will have already checked out.

                               If the first hour were interesting, that would be one thing. However, despite halfway decent acting from the cast, this first part revolves around characters you couldn't care less about doing uninteresting things in even more uninteresting situations. Also, once the tribe gets torturing, it never is as ballsy as it should be. This isn't helped by the fact that the first thing Roth shows the tribe doing is brutally torturing and murdering one of the only two completely likable members of the eco team. This not only promises a 45 minutes of torture porn the film can't deliver but also shows Roth and Amoedo's complete disregard for the story they're telling. As well, there's  a completely predictable twist that anyone who has ever seen a film can see coming less than five minutes in that ends up making the film feel icky but not at all in the way it should.

                                The acting is decent, even from a completely unknown cast (the only somewhat well known cast member was Daryl Sabara, of Spy Kids fame) and the film is very nicely made from a directing standpoint but The Green Inferno ends up being a fairly miserable experience that even Roth's most adamant supporters will have a hard time defending, especially with the "screw all of you" ending he tacks on for no good reason. As someone who generally likes Roth's work, I'd say just stay home and watch the first Hostel.
(2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for aberrant violence and torture, grisly disturbing images, brief graphic nudity, sexual content, language and some drug use)

The Last Drive In Theater Review

The magic and the wonder---Breno Nina as a troubled young man who discovers the power of film in The Last Drive In Theater
                      There's a moment towards the middle of the new Spanish drama The Last Drive In Theater in which main character Marlombrando (Breno Nina) is standing in front of a poster for the classic film Cinema Paradiso. It constantly cuts back to him so we can see that he's still standing in front of that poster. A few of the shots are even clearly there to just that one purpose. It's an incredibly on the nose moment in which co-writer-director Ibere Carvalho shows exactly where his inspiration comes from. I mention this particular moment because this film, while decent, has far too many of those moments to reach the greatness that Cinema Paradiso did with seemingly no effort whatsoever. Another such moment features a character making a crash or burn proposal while standing in front of a Spanish poster for The Godfather. Films about the love of film are generally my bread and butter. Cinema Paradiso and The Purple Rose Of Cairo are the two that always come to mind but there are many others. This one gets by on being not only about the magic of film but about the magic of drive in theaters (which I have some fond memories of.) However, I wished it would have ultimately ended up being more.

                        The film follows Marlombrando, a troubled teen with a very sick mother with whom he often gets screwed out of seeing by abrasive hospital employees. One day, he ends up on the ground of an old drive in run by his long lost father Almeida (Othon Bastos.) The first greeting he gets is a warning to get out before bad stuff happens by drive in employee Paula (Fernanda Rocha.) Soon, he finds himself falling in love with the drive in (the last one left in Cuba) where he spent his childhood all over again. However, this drive in is under threat of demolishment by businessmen who want to create a more lucrative business with the property.

                           This film does *mostly* do a damn fine job of showing why film is such a closely kept close to the heart thing for people (myself included.) They show how Brando (the characters call him that for most of the film, I suppose to make typing his name in reviews easier) really does come to love the drive in all over again. It never feels like a forced passion. For him, film is symbolic for  great time in his life when everything was just easier. Admittedly, I have loved film from a very young age and part of why I continue to love it is because of how many fond memories it can bring and how seeing a film I have great memories of watching when I was younger can make me feel that nostalgia again. A good example for me is Clueless, a film I watched a few hundred times between the ages of 8 and 13. Watching that film today, I go back to a simpler time for me. The point being, I totally felt myself in this character.

                        However, naming the main character after one of the greatest film actors of all time is iffy. It's an amusing little one off bit but Carvalho really does stretch it beyond its acceptable length. Also, the story with the mother is very touching but there's one particular scene towards the end (which I choose not to give away) that strips away a lot of the emotion from that plot. It felt incredibly shoved into the overall plot for no good reason. As well, even with the touching moments, the dying mother plot did feel a little too Lifetime Movie Of The Week compared to how well the rest of the film bodes. If Carvalho had just kept that scene out, it would ave worked much better.

                         I could sit here and talk about how much I could see myself in these characters in my love for film and my sadness that most drive in theaters have been demolished. I found the stuff about the magic that film brings much more touching than the dying mother plot. Hell, I admittedly even shed a few tears at the drive in theater plot. However, The Last Drive In Theater doesn't completely work, or at least as much as I hoped it would. It's worth seeing if you're someone like me who practically lives and breathes film. For the casual film goer, however, it won't quite be worth your time or money.
(3 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated but is equivalent to a PG-13 for some language and thematic elements)

The Visit Review

The creep de factor---Deanna Dunagan as one of a set of grandparents who seem to be off their rockers in The Visit

                          Roger Ebert once said "It's rare to find a film that goes for broke and says to hell with the consequences." The Visit is a film that does exactly this. However, looking at the writer-director, M Night Shyamalan, it only makes sense that this film go for broke. After a slew of miserable failures (Lady In The Water, The Village, The Happening, The Last Airbender, After Earth,) it seems Mr. Shyamalan has nothing to lose. So with money out of his own pocket, he has made The Visit, a horror-comedy similar to last year's Kevin Smith-directed flop Tusk. Except for the fact that this film will most likely be a hit, the two films are really quite the same. Both feature an extremely uneasy mix of horror and comedy. Both have images that I wish I could un-see. Both feature creepy old people. Last but not least, both are films I didn't really enjoy while I was watching them but that I have to applaud for their ballsiness and for the fact that I will most likely never go a day of my life without thinking about them. Hell, Tusk came out last year in September and I still haven't gone a day without thinking about it. Perhaps this is because both Shyamalan and Smith were able to understand that the creepiest things are events that could potentially happen to anyone. In this age of paranormal/other worldly horror films, that's an important lesson to keep in mind. Back to just The Visit.  

                          The film stars Ed Oxenbould and Olivia DeJonge as Tyler and Becca, a brother and sister whose mother (Kathryn Hahn) needs to spend time with her new boyfriend. Tyler and Becca happily agree to stay with their grandparents for a week to give Mom and boyfriend some time to themselves. However, upon arriving at their house, Tyler and Becca realize that Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) are creepy. Not just "old people acting strange" creepy but demonically possessed creepy. Pop Pop advises the kids to stay in their room once 9:30 PM strikes but they must find out what the big deal is. As the week goes on, things keep getting weirder and weirder.

                           Shyamalan has found five terrific actors in its mostly unknown cast. Hahn is a recognizable supporting face and had what I thought was a breakout lead role in the sadly little seen Afternoon Delight while McRobbie has been acting in various projects for a while. Meanwhile, Oxenbould did star in last year's dismal Alexander And The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. However, none of these are household names and the fact that you can buy  them as these people more because of it makes it all the creepier. In that way, it reminded me of this year's Unfriended, another horror film that worked because of the unknown cast. McRobbie and Dunagan perfectly portray old people who don't quite confirm whether they're dangerous or just old. Perhaps the creepiest thing in the film is the sight of Dunagan's butt, which is shown more than once and is never pleasant. Meanwhile, Oxenbould provides some very funny comic relief as the little brother with a love for hip hop and DeJonge is terrific as the curious older sister.

                               Shyamalan also uses a creative way to integrate the increasingly tired found footage concept into the action. Becca is an inspiring filmmaker who hopes to make a documentary for her mother, complete with Nana and Pop Pop forgiving Mom on camera. This makes it reasonable that Becca and Tyler would both be filming everything. 

                                 There are both some genuine scares and guffaws within the film. However, I often feel like Shyamalan doesn't mix them exactly right. There are moments where it's supposed to be creepy and there would be something funny that would happen which ruined the mood for me and vice versa. As well, I don't think that the kids are as funny or charming as the film thinks they are. Sure, Oxenbould gains a few hearty laughs from the audience and he and DeJonge are likable enough actors and do really well in their roles. However, the film seems to think they're the best kids ever  with an admittedly refreshing and nice to see mother who loves them to death and forced sentimentality to boot. 

                              

                                   The twist, though. I will not begin to give anyway anything about the twist. However, I will say the twist is unexpected and extremely solid when taken at face value. Everyone expects a twist ending from Shyamalan at this point but he packs a wallop with this one. With that being said, if you start picking it apart piece by piece and trying to find out why it doesn't make sense, you'll pass with flying colors. Shyamalan does leave plenty of clues of why it does make some sense, however. My other complaint about the twist is that it improves the film so much I only wish it was introduced halfway through the film rather than in the last 20 or so minutes. It changes the whole vibe of the film and really lets things pick up. I imagine not only the twist but the film is general being made into a darker, grittier, R rated film and it may have worked much better.

                                       I can't quite bring myself to recommend The Visit. It has too many rough patches and uneven tone switches to really make it a must see. However, it does show that Shyamalan can still care about a film and it provides  a step in the right direction for him. If you want to see his true comeback, wait perhaps two years from now where he may be back in all his glory. If you're absolutely desperate to see something halfway decent from him, check this out at the cheapest price possible.

(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including terror, violence and some nudity, and for brief language)