The 10 Worst Films of 2014!!!!!!!

                        Here they are---the films that made me regret throwing down money to sit through them in 2014. The worst of the worst and the films that I could not get paid to sit through again. Generally speaking 2014 was a great year for cinema buffs like myself but these 10 films proved that people like me who go to *mostly* everything that come out still had to dig through the garbage of Hollywood. Please also note that I took a bit back for myself this year, steering clear of such guaranteed disasters as Blended and Transformers: Age of Extinction. Also, some films that I hated that didn't quite make it---Sex Tape, The Nut Job, Ride Along, Noah, Annie, Night At The Museum Secret Of The Tomb among others. Without further ado, I will list them off so I never have to think about them again.

(10) Annabelle

               One of many films on this list that are part of acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert's "Brothman's Law," which he named after a Chicago film critic exhibitor named Oscar Brothman, Annabelle is a depressingly lackluster horror film that didn't even try and so clearly was only intent on aping off the success of the hit film The Conjuring. By the way, "Brothman's Law" states that "If nothing has happened by the end of the first reel, nothing is going to happen." That is very much the truth for this disaster.

   (9) The Amazing Spider-Man 2

                   I would saying wasting great talent such as Paul Giamatti, Emma Stone, Andrew Garfield, Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Denis Leary and Dane DeHaan was this film's biggest sin if it weren't such a pile of horse droppings in so many other regards. This has got to be one of the single most boring superhero AND action films I have ever seen. Unfortunately, this film made enough for audiences to get a third of this dead in the water, been there done that franchise.

(8) A Million Ways To Die In The West 

                   On my halfway report post from this year, I had this as the third worst film of 2014 thus far. I decided a higher ranking was unfair for this Seth MacFarlane comedy since I did laugh a total of six times. However, the rest of this comedy is so uncomfortably dreadfully and as dry and disgusting as the old west itself that leaving it off entirely would be doing the 2 (TWO) hours of sitting through this scummy comedy all too big of a favor. Also...what can be worse than an unfunny comedy?

(7) Atlas Shrugged Part 3: Who Is John Galt?

                   Saying this film was terrible is a lost cause because that's really obvious. The only reason I felt obliged to sit through this mess (that, despite awful everything, doesn't even  come close to reaching so bad it's good territory) is that the filmmakers left a lot of questions open at the end of the dreadful second film. People such as myself that were stupid enough to see the decent for what it was first and the unforgivable second probably went into the third installment at least expecting answers. Too bad none were given.

(6) As Above So Below 

                      Another "Brothman's Law" victim, this found footage garbage where literally nothing happens for its 90 minutes that feel more like a prison sentence, unfortunately got slightly better reviews and better box office numbers than its December released significantly better and instantly more likable sister film The Pyramid. The latter at least has characters that are sort of charming. This film has nothing in its favor.

(5) Deliver Us From Evil

                       A film that made me heavily considering whether movies are even an art form any more, this failed attempt at an exorcism horror film-cop thriller crossover nonetheless had some "so bad they're good" moments. Too bad 99% of the film was boring and most shamefully of all, incredibly lazy.

(4) Transcendence

                           Not quite the most boring film of 2014 but very close, this complete rip off of The Lawnmower Man, which was not a very good film to begin with finally proved that the once talented Johnny Depp can no longer act anymore and should just stop trying. Actually, I think he has. Johnny--you're playing a scientist who turns into a computer, there's no need to do a weird accent and act like you still have tons of make up on. Just be normal for a change, man.

(3) Before I Go To Sleep

                                Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman and Mark Strong all in the same film together... what could go wrong? Apparently everything if you're this thriller written and directed by the usually reliable Rowan Joffe (Brighton Rock, 28 Weeks Later for writing.) The film follows Kidman as  a woman who loses her memory each day when she wakes up. If you want to watch a great film about someone who loses their memory each day, just watch Memento. Fortunately this film made less than one million dollars at the opening weekend box office, which shows that audiences are sometimes smart about what not to see. Unfortunately, films with Adam Sandler and Michael Bay's names attached to them still make millions and even billions of dollars but that's a whole other ball game.

(2) The Other Woman

                                  Even thinking about this disastrous comedy still makes me mad. What I said about there's nothing worse than an unfunny comedy with A Million Ways To Die In The West goes triple for The Other Woman. When you have a film about three women (Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton) being cheated on by the same men and the ladies are so obnoxious and grating to every nerve that sympathy for the man starts to come into play, that's the sign of one smelly film. This is not helped by the fact that the brother (Taylor Kinney) of the cheater's wife (Mann) tells her to be normal and divorce him 20 minutes into the film. Thank you screenplay for pointing out why this film is so unnecessary. What's most shocking is this incredibly misogynistic non-comedy is written by a woman named Melissa Stack and directed by the usually reliable Nick Cassavetes (Alpha Dog, The Notebook, John Q,) son of the great John Cassavetes. For shame making your father coil in his grave with this crap, Nick.

(1) The Equalizer

                             I was tempted to put The Equalizer and The November Man  both on the worst of 2014 list but then I decided to go for the worst of the two since THEY'RE THE SAME DAMN MOVIE. I went the Denzel Washington starring-Antoine Fuqua directed film because it felt like the significantly bigger waste of talent and was also around half an hour longer. This is a horrible film that, like its Pierce Brosnan starring-Roger Donaldson directed counterpart, follows a boring ex-agent who has to do one last job. What a horrible cliche and what an awful accomplishment to make the great Denzel Washington boring as hell. Washington and Fuqua made the excellent cop thriller for which Washington more than deservedly won an Oscar. Here, they prove that two times may be too many. I was quite literally bored to tears during this film and have aggressively tried to get this absolutely hateful and disgusting film out of my head ever since I walked out of the theater. I would rather get stabbed repeatedly than sit through this crap ever again.

             There you have it...the very worst of 2014. Here's hoping that 2015 will be less crappy and will feature (very wishful thinking here) many less calculated films. 

The Babadook Review

The dangers of parenting---Essie Davis as a mother to an unnaturally misbehaved child (Noah Wiseman) in The Babadook
                             The Babadook, a horror film from first time writer-director Jennifer Kent, is wholly original and completely creepy. It is these things in a way that's extremely refreshing to see nowadays---it takes a psychological approach. In a lot of ways, this film is similar to two other recent flicks, this year's Enemy and 2011's We Need To Talk About Kevin but it still stands on its own two feet as an inventive and unbelievably nightmarish film.

                            The film stars Essie Davis as Amelia, a mother who is trying her best to raise son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) who is without a father after the dad died in a car accident driving Amelia to the hospital when she was about to give birth. Amelia seems to still have a lot of harsh feelings toward Samuel and it doesn't help that, without a father figure around, Samuel is downright demonic in the way he behaves a lot of the time. The plot finds Samuel digging up a children's book called "Mister Babadook," which seems to mysteriously be the cause of weird goings on in the household, including Amelia's strong desire to kill Samuel. The creature in the book, which is of the pop up variety, seems to enter in their lives as well but rarely physically appears, which is both one of the largest strengths of the film and a torturous happening for Amelia and Samuel.

                            As I mentioned, the film is very strong in the way that it rarely shows the creature. The creature is cool looking without a doubt (it looks like something that Guillermo Del Toro might do.) However, Kent knows that the film is much creepier because it makes the audience interpret what they think the creature could be, why it could be and why it's doing this to this mother and son. Even by the end, the audience still needs to think for themselves. Although Kent, to some degree, reveals what the creature is and its purpose, it still leaves a looming air of mystery for the audience to ponder on.

                           The acting is incredible here as well. Davis, a good actress but one that has never wowed me, is amazing here as the mother who seems sympathetic but might be even more demonic than her son. Wiseman, a first time actor, is striking as the child who seems demonic but might be more sympathetic than his mother. They work incredibly well together and play off the fact that both might not be as good or bad as they appear to be very well.

                          The other aspect that works brilliantly in this film is the aforementioned psychological approach to the horror. This film is not like modern day horror garbage that relies on jump scares or explanations of possession. The scariest thing in this film is just how sad this whole situation is. It's creepy to see a parent try to connect with their child so much and come out with nothing but hatred. I am not a parent but I imagine having a child and watching this may very well be an impossible task. The idea of someone like Amelia dragging down someone like Samuel with her as she tries to cope with her own depression is terrible to see and truly disturbing.

                         With The Babadook,  writer-director Kent proves that she is a force to be reckoned with. For a first timer on both fronts, she writes and directs with such ease and atmospheric/situation based tension that it makes the audience wonder and thoroughly anticipate what this talent is going to do next.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated)

Horrible Bosses 2 Review

Refreshed and revenged-----Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis and Charlie Day return, this time to get back their company by kidnapping a crazy rich guy (Chris Pine) in Horrible Bosses 2
                                The first Horrible Bosses made me laugh hard from start to finish and was another film that raised the bar superbly high for comedy, in my opinion. Now comes an unwarranted but completely irresistible sequel. Horrible Bosses 2 doesn't pull a Hangover Part II as audiences may have feared. Rather, it finds the three lovable idiots from the first film---Nick (Jason Bateman,) Kurt (Jason Sudekis) and Dale (Charlie Day) in a different situation, once again finding a way to make me laugh hysterically at every corner.

                                 This time, we begin with them on a talk show, explaining their new invention. It is called The Shower Buddy and it is a shower head that spurts out both water and shampoo. Upon feeling like it will never catch on, they receive a call from Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz,) a business legend who wants to buy loads of their product. However, Bert decides to screw  them over and come up with The Shower Pal, which is just their invention with a better name. The film then follows Nick, Kurt and Dale as they fail to kidnap Bert's son Rex (Chris Pine) but find that he wants to screw over his old man anyway.

                                It's hard to review a film such as this because that whole last paragraph is fairly useless. The plot doesn't matter, it's just there to propel the constant jokes along. However, what does matter is if the film is funny and, as I had mentioned before, it very much is. It was obvious from the outtakes of the first film that Bateman, Sudekis and Day absolutely love working with one another. It was also obvious that people such as Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx (all of whom return) had a blast letting their goofy sides out. It carries over into this film as the entire cast has amazing chemistry and clearly are still loving being with one another on the set. Bateman, Sudekis and Day nail almost every joke they deliver while Spacey, Aniston and Foxx provide excellent supporting comedic work. Foxx is especially good here, having a bigger role than in the last film and showing just how hilarious he can be. Pine is also extremely enjoyable, looking as energetic as ever and giving the character of Rex a completely uneasy nature without losing his comic charm.

                              One somewhat major complaint I had was that Waltz, incredible actor that he is, gets nothing to do here. He plays his role fine but the script gives his character no life or comedic energy. However, that's a small quibble for a film that I enjoyed so much. In fact, there are two gags in this film that I think are all timers. One involves a quick line in a hotel room and the other involves an extended sequence with a train. I was literally crying from laughing so hard at these two. The film has many other less major but still huge laughs every minute or so.

                               First and foremost Horrible Bosses 2 gets a lot of credit for trying something different and thoroughly succeeding. Secondly, the film gets props for making me laugh very audibly quite possibly over a hundred times and being even  funnier than the first. I won't say that this film will be to everyone's liking but if, like me, you thoroughly enjoyed the first one and/or love the actors at play here, then by all means go see it.
(4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong crude sexual content and language throughout)

Rosewater Review

The spy who came in from the show---Gael Garcia Bernal as a dedicated journalist who gets mistaken for a spy in Rosewater
                                  It all but makes sense that the directorial debut of renowned television personality Jon Stewart is the drama Rosewater. After all, its subject, Maziar Bahari was detained in an Iranian prison for 118 days largely because he jokingly called himself out as a spy in an interview to a correspondent from "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." It is a frightening thought that the film provokes---tons of journalists are heavily detained, interrogated and worst of all, tortured in foreign countries due to their dedication to the craft. Bahari was covering the election of the new Iranian leader but he wasn't particularly throwing any super harsh criticisms into his story. Field and investigative journalism is largely based on the idea that unbiased reporting is the best kind. If a person who is covering a topical story that could expose less than desirable results for the subjects lets their own opinions and ideas get in the way, the story will ultimately fall apart.

                                 Rosewater takes a largely interesting approach to this matter. Bahari was not so much someone who wanted to expose horrible wrong doings of the Iranian leaders but he wasn't a man who held back either. About halfway through the film, Maziar finally agrees to give the Iranian captors what they want and admit that he was lying in his writings. However, he delivers his apologies in such a "yeah--this is complete BS" way that he makes the captors feel almost as if it would be better if he said nothing at all.

                                 The film is set up as an approach in the vein of "they can throw you in prison and brutally interrogate you but you can outsmart them by being hopeful." However, this tactic is effectively not thrown in until much later. The best scene involving Maziar outsmarting the men who have imprisoned him involves talking to his interrogator about a strange addiction of his. The interrogator is intrigued but also seemingly terrified that this information is coming to light. This shows a kind of ability that Bahari used to get him through this long detainment.

                                  Maziar is played by the very underrated Gael Garcia Bernal, who adds another Best Actor Oscar worthy performance into an already extended list of strong candidates. His interrogator is played by Kim Bodnia, who gives a performance worthy of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Like JK Simmons in Whiplash and *what I've heard of* Steve Carrell in Foxcatcher, Bodnia does have an advantage since he's in a lot of film and yet not the focus. Bodnia does an excellent job of playing a role that requires more than a lot of actors could imagine. He has to be both the tough as nails interrogator but he also has to remind the audience that he works for an organization and has higher ups as well. It's never really confirmed whether the interrogator wants to be doing what he does or whether he too has been forced into a miserable life he does not want to be a part of.

                                   Stewart does a great job of adding a lot of black comedy into the film without ever letting go of the earnest storytelling and reminding the audience how great of a story this is. He writes (from Bahari's own memoir) and directs with flair but never lets the effectiveness and inherently terrifying  nature of the story die down with it. This is a film both scary and uplifting. It's sad to think this is still happening in the world and Stewart lets us know this through a particularly infamous past event--a smart tactic that works brilliantly. Rosewater may not be for everyone and, as an aspiring journalist, it was admittedly uncomfortable for me to sit through. However, this is an extremely well made film about a courageous and altogether great man that should be seen if not just for the awareness of the dangers of field journalism.
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language including some crude references and violent content)

Force Majeure Review

Making  a mountain out of an avalanche---Johannes Kuhnke and Kristofer Hivju as men dealing with relationship problems following a potentially disastrous event in Force Majeure
                                         The new psychological comedy/drama Force Majeure asks an interesting question--can a single moment change the course of a relationship's entire span? Then, the film does something even more interesting---it stimulates the viewer's mind not by bringing about any real idea of the question but rather by never stepping anywhere near an answer to it. This is a film that makes the audience wonder why it is so engaging. It's not really saying anything in and of itself. It presents the idea for a great film and proceeds to leave that idea alone. However, that seems to make the overall effect that much more. Watching these events unfold, I was reminded of the Before Trilogy, which tracks Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in both the sheer joys and rough patches of their long relationship. In both cases, the idea that the entire film consists of conversations that feel like ones everyone has had seems more exciting than anything else playing at the local multiplex. These are characters that fascinate in how real they are.

                                           The film follows Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke,) a seemingly loving father and husband who is on a ski trip with his family in the mountains. His wife, Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and kids Vera and Harry (real life brother and sister Clara and Vincent Wettegren) seem to love him and are all having a good time. However, when at lunch, they experience what appears to be an uncontrolled and potentially deadly avalanche.  Tomas panics when this happens, grabbing his phone and running away without his wife or kids. Ebba tells people that this was Tomas's own selfishness and he doesn't care about her or their children enough to save them. Variations of "don't worry---this was a knee jerk reaction anyone would have when a random avalanche seems to be hitting" are spoken to her. However, she's having none of it. This leads to a fascinating question for the audience--who do you trust? Sure, the wife knows Tomas more than his defenders but she might also be having an abnormal reaction herself. On the other hand, the defenders sound reasonable enough to say this was not really his fault but would they not feel how Ebba feels if in her position?

                                           The acting is terrific, as Kuhnke and Kongsli are both great at showing their respective sides without ever giving either character too much sympathy or reason for hatred. The Wettegren siblings are impressively good at letting their emotional range fly as they see their parents being torn apart by what seems like not much in their mind. Kristofer Hivju and Fanni Metelius are also great in the comic relief roles as Mats and Fanny, a couple who hang out with Tomas and Ebba and seem to view the situation from both angles.

                                           As written and directed by Ruben Ostlund, this is a terrific film in both fields. The dialogue is witty and deep without ever feeling like it's trying too hard to be either. These people talk in ways that feel legitimate but it never seems to be going too heavily for that. The direction is amazing. For a film that's mostly people having very engaging conversations, this is shockingly one of the most visually stunning films I have ever laid eyes on. The set pieces, ranging from the eye popping slopes to the wonderfully designed hotel that the couples are staying in to the beautiful simplicity of a bus are terrific. The visuals make the overall feel of the film even enticing and realistic.

                                          While the film does lag in a few parts (the last 20 minutes or so could have used some particular editing,) this is a terrific film. It is funny, smart, daring, moving, explosive, charming, heartbreaking, ETC all in one fell swoop. Ostlund has made a film that has the depth of a real life being unfolded before the viewer's eyes. In a lot of ways, this feels like what would have happened if the filming from The Truman Show was edited and released to the general public in cinemas. It's that life like.
(4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for some language and brief nudity)

Ouija Review

Spirit bored---Olivia Cooke as a teenager who tries to get over the loss of her best friend by contacting her from beyond in Ouija
                                  There's a moment in Ouija where the teenage characters are sitting around a dinner table to attempt to contact their dead friend for the first time. All are skeptical except one who reassures his friends by saying "don't worry...these boards are sold in all toy stores." It's a shameless bit of self promotion and also told me everything I needed to know about the film. It isn't as incompetently made as it could have been but that just makes the overall result dull. A much crazier and dumber film would have at least provided some laughs. It's especially surprising to me that this film is not laughably bad because between the trailer, the "produced by Michael Bay" stamp and the fact that the director is an unknown special effects guy named Stiles White, I thought that this film was actually Scary Movie 6 in disguise. Alas...this is a horror film that sucks the entire life out of the viewer. In fact, between this film and Annabelle, horror film fans have been screwed over within the last month or so. Have we, as a society, really sunk this low that these kinds of films make money?

                                 I would do a plot synopsis but the characters are so interchangeable and the plot so lackluster and instantly forgettable I honestly would have no idea what I was talking about. Essentially the plot is stupid teenagers mourn over their dead friend, they try to contact her using a Ouija board and  then after the first 80 minutes of a 85 minute film, something kind of happens. None of this would be a problem (not even the very slow build up to anything happening) if it were done right. However, this film takes itself way too seriously and gets no enjoyment out of the potentially kooky premise at hand. It's the equivalent of a "Naked Gun" sequel if it were to follow LT. Frank Drebin solve a rape case in a very competent manner.

 
                                  This is one of those "the cost outweighs the benefits" scenarios. Sure, there's some dumb fun to be had here. Horror film quasi-legend Lin Shaye shows up in a hilariously awful cameo as a mental patient for whom the main teenage girl named ______ (I think that might have actually been her name) turns to for help. However, the teenagers mostly just sit around being sad about their dead friend and dying in ways that should be hysterically stupid but just fall flat. I mean, getting ones mouth stitched by a demon with dental floss sounds a lot funnier than it turns out to be in this film.

                                    The  nicest thing I can say about the film is that the actors aren't bad. These *obviously* late 20's, early 30's actors playing the teens try to make the most of their characters and bring some much needed personality to the film. Too bad that damn script prevents them from doing so. Also...try not to be pissed off once the unbelievably insulting end twist that contradicts the entire rest of the film is revealed. Apparently director/co-writer White and co-writer Juliet Snowden think film goers are a bunch of dummies who don't care about anything in the film nowadays. How dead wrong they are. In fact, they should be ashamed for trying to get the end twist by audience members as anything but an insult.

                                     While it could have been much worse, Ouija is only hurt by this fact. It is an extraordinarily dull film that makes no use of its potentially laughable premise. If you want to see a laughably bad horror film, just stay home and stream the Troll and Leprechaun films. If you want to see a good horror film, don't go anywhere near a movie theater.
(1 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content, frightening horror images, and thematic material)

Listen Up Philip Review

A life, unwritten---Jason Schwartzman as a self-centered writing looking to escape the rush of the city for the sake of inspiration in Listen Up Philip
                                         When one thinks about it, writing is not an inherently fascinating thing. Sure, writers such as myself are fascinating people with fascinating ideas but our stories don't really add up to much. We're ordinary people who express themselves by putting words together to make sentences. Listen Up Philip is a film that presents writers in a cliched, largely egotistical nature but fascinatingly avoids fully following through with the cliches. Sure, title character Philip Lewis Friedman (Jason Schwartzman) is an appallingly self-centered jerk (we're not all like that) but he's also easy to relate to even outside of a writer's perspective. You can't help but root for this horrible guy because you see what has made him the way he is. In a lot of ways, he's similar to Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of real life con artist Jordan Belfort in last year's The Wolf Of Wall Street. In both cases, these are men whom the audience feels bad for because they've let their success and power get to them. If there's one type of role that Schwartzman was born to play, it's this one. From Rushmore to I Heart Huckabees to Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World to the HBO comedy "Bored To Death," Schwartzman has proven he has a knack for playing characters who would be far too unlikable if played by anyone else. He takes characters who hand out misery to others like candy on Halloween and gives them an edge that makes the audience root for them.

                                         The film follows Schwartzman's Philip as he struggles with his day to day life in the fast paced world of Brooklyn. His photographer girlfriend Ashley (Elisabeth Moss) no longer shows signs of caring about him, all his friends have gone onto less green pastures than him and turned against him. In fact, the first two scenes simply consist of Philip tearing into people who he regrets having in his life. Even his latest book has a huge potential for failure. One day, he meets Ike Zimmerman (think Ira Levine, I suppose) (Jonathan Pryce,) a highly successful author who enjoys Philip's work immensely. Ike mentions to Philip that Brooklyn is "good for inspiration but not productivity." Ike makes a somewhat facetious offer to Philip that he can stay at his country home to write. Philip jumps at the opportunity, takes a job at a college teaching creative writing and discover Ike's daughter, Melanie (Krysten Ritter) has fallen victim to his "the whole word revolves around me" attitude.

                                          Pryce is perfect as the author who has no real redeeming qualities. He's kind of charming but that's only a lead in to his awful behavior. Ritter and Moss also get nice roles as the women in these mens' lives. The women get their own arcs and their perspective is as essential to the story as the male point of view. The film is funny but also pulls out a lot of great dramatic stops. Schwartzman plays up the charm but is never afraid to let his character explode in frustration. His brutally honest speeches are both amusing and sad. We see the hurt in this man that he's trying to hide but we can't help and chuckle. The film is directed in the style of an old, grainy 1970's film (like John Cassavetes or older Pedro Almodovar,) which adds to the nuanced and nostalgic feel of this story. However, I could have done without the multiple, shaky closeups of people's faces. That's a small quibble for a film that works so well, however.

                                          The clever dialogue helps boost the realism of the story. As we watch Schwartzman and Pryce trade conversational one liners to each other, we feel like we're actually watching two well known writers. While it may not exactly break  any new ground, Listen Up Philip is a welcome throwback to a different kind of film. The performances, especially from Schwartzman, flawlessly playing a charming schmuck as ever, add a lot to the well done nature of the film. Writers are not always enjoyable to learn about but through writer-director Alex Ross Perry's scope, they most certainly are.
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated but contains adult language and situations)

Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Review

Acting the fool----Michael Keaton and Edward Norton as an irrelevant actor and an acclaimed actor who decide to do a play together in Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
                                             It is modern day New York City. Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) has just lost an actor in a freak accident involving a stage light. He brings in Mike (Edward Norton,) a highly acclaimed but notoriously difficult to work with actor whom he books through co-star Lesley (Naomi Watts.) Riggan then deals with such issues as being an obsolete actor in a world of top notch players, his brutally honest ex-wife (Amy Ryan) and daughter (Emma Stone) and a powerful critic (Lindsay Duncan) who will stop at nothing to destroy his play. This all seems like a fairly standard set up for an entertaining comedy/drama. However, Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) seems to be set in a world entirely different from the one it is said to be. This could potentially be attributed to many factors. It could be that the actors in this film are known for being able to disappear into any role given to them or the fact that the direction by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is meant to evoke the feeling of one long tracking shot.

                                             Whatever the reason is, the film is fantastic and ends up being significantly more than it suggests. Through two actors, the film creates a semi-autobiographical feel. Keaton, playing a man who famously portrayed a superhero and is now stuck in acting limbo, once played Batman and then, at least for a while, seemed to be doing mediocre and by the numbers all too well (Desperate Measures, Multiplicity, Speechless, Quicksand, ETC.) Meanwhile, Norton plays an actor who is praised for his talent but is also regarded as an ass of the highest order. In real life, Norton is a great actor when the opportunity presents itself but is also quite a tough person to get along with, according to eyewitness accounts (lest we forget that infamous filming of The Incredible Hulk.) By taking two actors who share the feelings, attitudes and actions of their characters in the real world and placing the film in a brassy, downright futuristic New York City, the film gives these two the opportunity to once again revel in their talents.

                                               The film also does something else really well. Not for a second is it dumb about anything it presents. This is a smart film, which presents seemingly simplistic ideas in a fascinatingly complex light. Even Duncan's role as a bitchy critic is original if not altogether plausible. The film is even smart enough to allow the audience to understand where the critic is coming from. She has no reason to be doing what she's planning to do and yet the film does a great job of making the audience think she does. It's also interesting to see a film where Ryan, as Keaton's ex-wife and Zach Galifianakis, as Keaton's buddy/manager are the two most straight laced characters in the film. These are two gifted actors who generally thrive on the act of being broad and ridiculous and hysterical so the fact that they get to prove their dramatic chops here is refreshing and wonderful to watch.

                                                The acting is great all around and Inarritu not only directs the film with great flair and passion but also has co-written a script (along with Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo) that is equally smart, hilarious, sad, touching, beautiful and glorious. Unlike most scripts with a larger than average amount of credited writers, the four writers here makes sense. This script is far from a one person or even a two person job. There are so many clever and substantial lines it takes at least two viewings to catch everything that's so great about this film. I, myself, have only seen it once and am dying to go see it again to catch the abundance of lines I probably missed.

                                                  With more to recommend than can be summed up in one review, Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a magical film experience. True to what the craft of cinema should be and essential to view on the big screen, this is one that should be seen by all who love film and the art of making a project immediately.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and brief violence)

John Wick Review

Kick it with Keanu----Keanu Reeves as a former hit man who goes back into business after his life is ruined by Russian punks in John Wick
                                       I've never really felt one way or another about Keanu Reeves. He's sometimes excellent (The River's Edge, My Own Private Idaho) and sometimes unbelievably dull (47 Ronin, The Day The Earth Stood Still.) This may sound like it applies to most actors but with Reeves it is especially true that his level of excellence depends on the role he's in. He is a very good actor when he needs to be, for sure but I can also often see him simply going through the motions. His newest action film, John Wick, in which he is placed in the role of the title character, is his best work in at least a decade and a half. This is Reeves at his best. He takes this role and has an endless amount of fun with it. Good news for the audience as well since him having a blast in the role translates incredibly well with the viewer.

                                        The film stars Reeves as Mr. Wick, a former hit man who lives in a world where being a killer for hire is an accepted job. (FINALLY!) John has retired and leads a quiet but desolate life, with his wife having died. His wife, however, leaves him a cute little dog for him to look after and care for. However, a group of Russian punks, led by the son (Alfie Allen) of a brutal gangster (Michael Nyqvist) decide to break into his house and murder his dog. This is to say they don't know who Wick is and don't realize this event will ultimately lead him out of retirement.

                                          I dug this film so much that even the tough Russian gangsters felt realistic. A lot of this is due to the alternate universe John Wick is set in. This is literally a world where they have a hotel that hit men stay at complete with very strict policies. Lance Reddick even shows up in a hilarious role as a stilted hotel desk worker. Directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski (former stunt men) and writer Derek Kolstad fill the film with a shocking amount of dark, very funny humor, such as when John is throwing down with Ms. Perkins (Adrianne Palecki,) an assassin for hire in his hotel room with Reddick's worker bee standing quietly at the desk. A nice amount of supporting players including Dean Winters, John Leiguzamo, Ian McShane, Willem Dafoe and Bridget Moynahan also get to have fun with their respective roles.

                                             This film is Reeves doing what he does best---killing dudes one by one. This is non stop action from start to finish. It never asks the audience to feel any real emotions (except the dog, perhaps) and that's fine here. It's an absolute blast from start to finish and never tries to be anything it's not. If you're the kind of person who craves a throwback to the 80's Dolph Lundgren-Sylvester Stallone or 90's Steven Seagal-Jean Claude Van Damme action films then this should be just right for you. Leitch, Stahelski and Kolstad all deserve credit for making an inventive, crazy fun world but Reeves is the one who drives this home with all his might.
(3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use)

Hit By Lightning Review

Ball buster---Jon Cryer as a loser restaurant manager who falls for a suspicious woman (Stephanie Szostak) in Hit By Lightning
                                    I feel really bad for Jon Cryer and Will Sasso. Both are very funny men who get wrongly underestimated for different reasons. While Cryer too often gets stereotyped as "that guy from "Two And A Half Men,"" Sasso never gets any work that's on par with proving his true comedic talent. It's weird to think a film as awful as Hit By Lightning is the closest thing that's come out to breaking these two talents from their respective molds. I have a theory that they get to prove more here than usual because the film is so bad. If the film were simply mediocre, their hard work and endless dedication to getting laughs from the audience would go unnoticed. However, the film is so horribly written and dreadfully non-eventfully that they show how great they can be even when given no good material. Both men are great here but the film only proves to be a detriment to them.

                                    The film stars Cryer as Ricky, a manager at restaurant Debby's (it's Denny's spelled with B's instead of N's...and that's one of the less cringe worthy jokes in the film.) Ricky is having trouble in love while his buddy Seth (Sasso) tries to take him out every Saturday night simply for carnal pleasures. However, neither man knows how to pick up a woman despite Seth's confidence that they'll just keep trying. Ricky signs up for E-Happily (yeah, apparently no one wanted to use this film for product placement) and meets Danita (Stephanie Szostak.) Ricky and Danita fall in love instantly and Ricky sees hope for his future. One problem---Danita is married to Ben (Jed Rees,) a successful mystery author whom Danita wants Ricky to kill.

                                       After I saw the film, I was interested to see who was behind this film. It came as no shock to me that the writer and director is Ricky Blitt, a former "Family Guy" writer who has since left the show. On the basis of this film, it's no wonder why. Unlike that show, whose random non-eventfulness and multiple pop culture references are genuinely funny in context, this film falls flat with all of that. The non-eventfulness of this film proves to be more boring than anything and every joke that doesn't involve a fake version of a large company is an awkward, unfunny pop culture reference. "Ricky's wearing a baseball cap so let's make a joke where he randomly mentions how good John C McGinley was in 42." "Seth brings over a copy of Body Heat so let's have him awkwardly point out that this film was made back when Kathleen Turner looked like a woman." This is the level of joke etiquette within this film.

                                      This perhaps could have worked if there was dark comedy to balance it out as there should be in a film about a  man trying to murder another woman's husband but Blitt obviously has no clue how to go dark. His very few attempts to go dark end up being clumsy and feeling weirdly unjustified. Also, the whole film wants the audience to root for Ricky and Danita when they are both horrible people to begin with. Before even bringing up the idea of the murder (which happens 45 minutes into the 85 minute film,) they're both such despicable people that there's no reason to root for them. Ricky even fills his balding head with shoe polish  when he first goes out with Danita and continues to do so. Why should the audience root for two people who need to hide what they are from one another? Sasso's Seth is the only likable character in the film and that's only because Sasso has mastered the art of lovable goofball the same way his "MadTV" co-star Ike Barinholtz has on TV's "The Mindy Project." Rees, an actor who always shows up randomly and never disappoints, is quite good here but isn't given a lick of anything to do with his character.

                                         With a different writer/director, Hit By Lighnting may have worked. The cast (excluding the awful performance of Szostak) deserve much better and should aspire to be in more high quality, worthy of their talent productions. Writer/director Blitt doesn't know what to do with these funny people and ends up making a film that feels as long as Shoah, even at 85 minutes. There is literally one mild chuckle I got from the film itself and not from the actors. It's the last line and shot of the film. Until that last five seconds, however, sitting through this so called comedy felt like a prison sentence of the worst kind.
(1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated but contains adult language and situations)
Note: Although the three male actors were great, I can not give this film any more than half a star. There are plenty of great performances in film and, although these actors deserve better, they can not overcome the film's terribleness. In fact, the fact that Cryer, Sasso and Rees were so good made the overall horrible nature of the film all the more unpleasant to sit through.

Nightcrawler Review

Shoot to chill----Jake Gyllenhaal as dedicated worker Louis Bloom, who finds himself a crime scene video recorder for a local news station in Nightcrawler
                                             The new film from screenwriter and first time director Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler is not only a brilliant and amazingly fun satire but also an incredible confirmation of the talent in Jake Gyllenhaal, an actor whose career has taken an incredible turn over the past decade or so. He has proven to be the leading actor version of Christopher Walken. That is, he plays kooky with such an incredible bite and with such enjoyable self seriousness that he's always an amazing screen presence. Credit also goes to Gilroy, who directs the film with the kind  of direction that is never seen done anymore. He uses set pieces in the same vein that Alfred Hitchcock did, like with Mount Rushmore in North By Northwest and his ease with tension suggests a reincarnation of The Master of Suspense as well.

                                              In the film, Gyllenhaal plays Louis Bloom, a dedicated and ambitious young man looking for any type of work available. One night, he drives past a car crash and sees renowned cameraman Joe Loder (Bill Paxton) shoot some footage. This inspires him to hire an assistant, Rick (Riz Ahmed) and sell footage to channel 6 news director Nina Romina (Rene Russo.) However, he gets in more than he initially expected when he goes too far in his ambitions.

                                               In a lot of ways, Louis is a mix of two classic Robert De Niro characters--Rupert Pupkin from The King of Comedy and Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver. Louis's scary amount of dedication to get ahead in the world is very reminiscent of Pupkin while his way of saying things that are completely psychotic but come across as articulate and intelligent is a lot like Bickle. Gyllenhaal plays menacing with an amazing ease and he never goes too over the top with it. As well, Paxton, Russo and especially the underrated Ahmed are excellent supporting players.

                                                The film's satire comes from the idea that to get ahead in the world today, you have to be willing to do so by any means necessary. Bloom doesn't just run himself into the ground, he does so with great glee and motivation. However, as previously mentioned, he's so articulate about and so aware of his own craziness that it's hard not to maintain a rooting interest. He never comes across as a villain of any sort, although his awareness to his insanity makes it all the more intense.

                                                 Gilroy writes the film with very witty dialogue and some of the best ironic humor my ears have ever heard. He also knows how to have the characters talk realistically even as the situations get increasingly fantastical. The direction is amazing, taking the audience right along for the ride. As Louis is taping these horrific crimes, the audience feels right there with him. It even feels scarily close for the audience when the footage is cleverly shown through the lens of Bloom rather than directly to the audience.

                                                  Nightcrawler is a terrific, spectacular, jaw dropping, powerful film that also manages to be surprisingly fun and darkly hilarious considering its grim subject matter. I'm sure come Oscar season the Academy won't even consider nominating Gyllenhaal for his work simply because of how creepy of a performance it is. However, it's a performance of great depth and intensity that should definitely be acknowledged by all and so is the film.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for violence including graphic images and for language)

Whiplash Review

Tough love---Miles Teller as an aspiring jazz drummer and JK Simmons as an abusive professor of a prestigious music group in Whiplash
                                                      There's never been an argument quite like the one made in Whiplash, a daring and stirring drama about a nice kid named Andrew (Miles Teller) who wants to be a top jazz drummer but ends up under the watch of Terrence Fletcher (JK Simmons,) a professor with a terrifying way of telling people they're doing it all wrong. On his first day of class, Andrew gets a chair hurdled at his head simply because he's slightly off tempo. However, this film tries to give Fletcher some humanity by trying to explain why he might be coming across as such a monster. In another film, this would be forced....only FEELING as if there's a question of Fletcher's humanity. However, Whiplash shows writer-director Damien Chazelle giving more depth than just a questionable response. He explores Fletcher's seeming evil nature and shows the point of view of both determined but terrified Andrew and supposed villain Fletcher. Chazelle also puts the ultimate power of the answer in the hands of the audience, a risky but ultimately provocative move on his part. This film would not have worked, however, if it weren't for the brilliant Simmons. He dives into the role, giving it all he possibly has and never petering out of what he's supposed to be. If Simmons does not win the best supporting actor Oscar..it will be one of the biggest sins in the history of The Academy Awards.

                                                       The film is mostly told from the point of view of Andrew, who loves his devoted father (an excellent and underused Paul Reiser) and even gets up the nerve to ask a movie theater employee named Nicole (Melissa Benoist) out. However, once introduced to Fletcher and his prestigious, highly regarded band, Andrew is torn between the success of making it big and the detriment of falling out of line with his life. Fletcher pushes Andrew to never be a second late to any rehearsals or classes and diminishes his confidence every time he misses a beat..literally. It's interesting to note that Simmons, while having played some unlikable characters, has never played a character that is truly evil (I have been told by multiple sources that he did in the highly regarded TV show "Oz" but I have never seen a single episode of that and his role in the Mark Wahlberg thriller Contraband wasn't evil so much as a bad dude) until now. Sure...he screams a lot and is aggressive in the original Spiderman trilogy but this shows a whole other side of him. He makes Fletcher not just a monster but inhumane in the way he presents himself. It's hard to say how Simmons and Chazelle make him such a vile, disgusting washout of a man without giving anything away but it's pretty incredible right from the first scene.

                                                        Simmons' performance proves to be a detriment a few times. This is only because, as great as Teller, Benoist and Reiser all are, the film always feels to lose its spark when Simmons is off screen. He walks away with the part and, throughout almost every second of his screen time, quite literally caused my jaw to drop. Right off the bat, the audience feels Fletcher's presence in the auditorium they are sitting in. Although Simmons seems like a nice guy from what I've seen on talk shows and read in various interviews, he is so realistically crazy and evil here that it's almost hard to imagine a  nice guy pulling this role off.

                                                          This is also a perfectly edited film, with Chazelle directing the beat of the drums as well as the sounds of the other instruments with a purposeful intensity. He gives the film a chilling claustrophobia that makes the audience feel just as trapped as Andrew. Even in a scene where Andrew and Nicole go out for pizza, the direction is so zoomed in and close that it makes the overall feelo f the situation uncomfortable. This scene is also nerve wracking because it makes Andrew and Nicole's eventual downfall within their relationship feel closer and closer as the scene goes on.

                                                         Whiplash is a great film with a more than Oscar worthy performance from Simmons. His performance is definitely the best I've seen all year and I dare say one of the best I've seen in my multiple years of watching films obsessively. If it weren't for him, this film still would have been very good but he drives the film to the status of great.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong language including some sexual references)

Kill The Messenger Review

Front page covered story----Jeremy Renner as journalist Gary Webb, who got way too deep into drug smuggling scandals in Kill The Messenger
                                 Kill The Messenger starts and ends with real footage of drug smuggling stories. The start involves stories questioning the methods of day to day citizens within drug smuggling rings. The end involves footage of the higher powers taking all the blame for such crimes. It's a perfectly defined way to show who Gary Webb really was. He was a journalist who, above all, was determined to reveal the truth and what people needed to know. He didn't care about a paycheck or respect, he just wanted ordinary citizens to be aware of what was going on around them. Of course, it's not a spoiler to say that the film finds Webb finding that the higher powers are a substantial part of why drug smuggling rings are running rampant. The film poses an interesting question of how much information is truly being hidden from the general public. Needless to say, the higher ups didn't want this information getting to ordinary citizens. This puts Gary's boss (Oliver Platt) and editor (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in a position where even they are forced to throw him under the bus. Kill The Messenger is also that rare film which works better when less is happening. The deeper and deeper Gary gets into this conspiracy, the less interesting the story truly is. This is not to say that everything he finds isn't interesting. On the contrary, every bit of information as well as the rabbit hole he sinks himself into is fascinating. It's just that the very present air of mystery before the reveal proves to be the most intense. It's like watching or reading And Then There Were None for the first time without knowing who the murderer is.

                                Webb is played in top form by Jeremy Renner, an actor who baffles me. He's an excellent actor but seems to pick roles such as The Bourne Legacy and Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters that don't let him show his considerable talents. Perhaps he has fun taking an easy role every now and then and films such as The Hurt Locker and The Town give him a justified "one for them, one for me" approach. Renner looks so much the part that when they showed footage of the older Gary Webb at the end, I thought they put makeup on Renner to make him look older. Renner's quick, witty way of telling it like it is works spectacularly for playing Gary Webb. This was not just a man who changed journalism inadvertently, this was a man who was not living if he was not changing journalism. The film is perfectly cast for everyone else as well. Director Michael Cuesta and screenwriter Peter Landesman (who takes the script from both Webb's book "Dark Alliance" and Nick Schou's book "Kill The Messenger") bring in people who obviously know what they're doing for what would be thankless, nothing roles by lesser actors. Great talents such as Michael Sheen, Ray Liotta, Barry Pepper, Paz Vega, Yul Vazquez, Robert Patrick, Andy Garcia, Michael Kenneth Williams and Tim Blake Nelson come in for brief scenes and make the best of what they have. Other extremely talented actors also have solid roles. These include Rosemarie DeWitt as Sue, Gary's supportive but massively skeptical wive and Lucas Hedges as Ian, Gary's supportive but massively skeptical oldest son.

                                 The real strength of the film comes from Cuesta's direction, which makes use of both the quickly moving rabbit hole that Webb finds himself in, which is symbolized by shots of Webb riding his motorcycle and the slow burn that comes from being addicted to such information, such as when Liotta shows up briefly as a man who also got addicted to heaps of information he shouldn't have had. This is the kind of film that works as a conspiracy thriller equally as well as it works as a psychological "how far is too far" investigative drama. It's exciting to watch someone so passionate about exposing lies that affect people who are just trying to make an honest living. If you do not know the story and have not seen the film yet, I advise you to skip the next paragraph as I am going to integrate part of the conclusion into my review.

                                Nothing about the film shows Webb's passion for finding the truth and exposing it quite as much as a scene at the end in which Webb gives a big "screw you" to his boss, his editor and the world of journalism as it stands in general. After winning a National Journalists Award, Webb first imagines his view of what he has done compared to every other person in the room's view on his story. He imagines a huge standing ovation complete with a lot of "what to go, Gary" being told to him. Flash to the actual event and there are only a few people reluctantly clapping for him. Of the four people barely clapping for him, two of them are his wife and his older son. He then goes up to the podium where people look at him with the interest of a kid wanting dessert being handed a plate of broccoli. He then launches into a speech of how he thought, as a journalist, he was supposed to publish and uphold the true facts of what's going on in the world, whether good or bad, for everyone to see. Of course, this is after his editor and boss have thrown him under the bus and asked him to resign. He explains he does not want to work for any paper or news outlet that hides wrong doings of higher ups simply because they are higher ups. He then throws his signed resignation sheet at his boss and editor and walks away in complete silence. This is who Webb was---a man who cared more about giving the general public the information that needs to be said than just simply working as a journalist. Most journalists would be too scared to even utter a word about this story but Webb gave away the entire farm on the drug smuggling scandal.

                                While Kill The Messenger does lag in a few parts and perhaps could have reached its conclusion sooner, it is no doubt a worth seeing story about a man who changed what people brought to their papers. Renner is the driving force here, with a great cast backing him up to deliver a truly entertaining and fascinating film. This is both a fascinating study of just how scary exposure and investigative journalism can be and a solid mystery of just how much is being hidden from us day by day. Even as I sat here typing this review, there could potentially be hundreds, even thousands of dangerous and threatening stories being swept under the rug for fear off exposure. In that alone, this is a film well worth watching.
(4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language and drug content)
                             

The Guest Review

What's wrong with this picture?---Dan Stevens as a mysterious man claiming to be an old war buddy of a welcoming family's deceased son in The Guest
                                                    The Guest is the greatest spectacle of film making anyone will see this year, and perhaps ever. It is a throwback to a different era of film that is so bad ass, so invigorating, so suspenseful, so edge of your seat and so damn entertaining that it's almost hard to think a film this great could still be made. It's not surprising to report that the film comes courtesy of director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett,  the team behind last year's stunning horror flick You're Next. As they did in that film, here they combine two seemingly impossible to mix, completely tired genres and bash them together in a way that would not be expected of anyone walking into the theater. In You're Next, they combined the standard home invasion thriller and the dysfunctional family comedy (it's a great combo even though it suggests The Strangers meets Four Christmases.) Here, Wingard and Barrett take the "you never know who's under your own roof" thriller and the conspiracy thriller genres and make a combination so incredible that it literally sent me into a state of shock leaving the auditorium. A lot of the film's success is due to star Dan Stevens, however, who takes an easily tedious and unbelievable characters and plays both ends of the spectrum exceptionally well.

                                                 Stevens plays David, a man who mysteriously shows up on the doorstep of the Peterson household. Their son has died in service and David claims to have been on his squad and says they were really close. Mother Laura (Sheila Kelley) buys into it, if not just to have a memory of her son. However, daughter Anna (Maika Monroe,) son Luke (Brendan Meyer) and father Spencer (Leland Orser) are much more skeptical. They wonder why this man just decided to come to their home out of nowhere. Couldn't he have called to see if it was alright? Why did their son never mention this man? That all changes, however, when David proves to be a compassionate and fun friend to all of them. I choose to end the synopsis here because the less one knows going into this film, the more incredible of a ride it will prove to be.

                                                 This is the kind of film that revels in the idea that the audience will be nervous about what will happen next. Another great thriller from this year, Enemy, did this almost as well. This film works brilliantly at keeping the audience on edge about why David is there and what his end goal is. Stevens manages to play David with an increasingly large amount of coolness and relaxation, which makes the suspicious aspect of his visit even more effective. He never tries hard to be cool, which makes the end product of his ease and swagger something of a miracle.

                                                 The supporting cast is also great, creating characters that are shockingly sympathetic. These characters are not just people who are there to run around and scream. Rather, these are actually people with jobs, aspirations and lives. While the end may leave some cold due to the current nature of the characters, it is no doubt a fascinating conclusion to behold. The film makes use of its setting, as well. Not only does the middle of nowhere dwelling make the ambiguous nature of David more thrilling but such settings as a pre-Halloween dance decorated gymnasium and an off the beaten path bar are used to great effect.

                                                  The Guest will certainly not be for everyone. Its concept may be too broad and loosely threaded for some while others may find the nervousness that comes from watching Stevens too much to handle. However, it is an exceptional piece of film making for anyone looking for a classic throwback to horror films from the 80's that directors and screenwriters seem incapable of producing any more. In other words, if you think you're excited to see this film, then by all means see it.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong violence, language, some drug use and a scene of sexuality)

The Zero Theorem Review

In need of a reality check today?-----Christoph Waltz as a computer hacker being slowly driven insane by the meaning of existence in The Zero Theorem
                                                  Here is a rare complaint to have for a film---it relies too much on its own cool nature. It should be noted that The Zero Theorem is perhaps the only film I have ever had and will ever have this complaint about. I suppose it's the most appropriate film to have this complaint about seeing as it's Terry Gilliam's latest film. Outside of the Monty Python films he has directed, I have never actually loved a film of his. I have highly respected and immensely enjoyed such films as Twelve Monkeys, Brazil and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas but they've also irritated me in the process. He too often feels like a man who's too wrapped up in the process of being cool to actually focus on other elements that would improve his work immensely. He's the equivalent of the high school star football player that everyone loves who gets very, very, very mediocre grades. I admittedly do understand the getting wrapped up in coolness factor of this one perhaps more than others. After all, it does star the already legendary Christoph Waltz and has an exceedingly kooky and wholly creative premise. However, those things can only last so long (maybe Waltz's legendary pull can last forever but the premise, not so much.) This is a film that will certainly only speak to a certain few. I can't decide whether I want to put myself in that group or not. Most people will hate this film due to its story that is, mostly, intentionally hard to follow. One minute a premise will be introduced but the next there won't even be a hint of what happened for the last 60 seconds. This may be a tactic that Gilliam is using since the film is about a man desperately searching for the meaning of existence and being contradicted by one thing or another every step of the way. However, most people will just find it pretentious and tedious, or so I imagine.

                                              The film stars Waltz as Qohen, a worker bee in one of those futuristic societies that's actually a metaphor for our society today. Other films that have this kind of future society can be seen in would be the classic 1982 film Blade Runner, this year's Snowpiercer and a few hundred films from those 32 years in between. This is not to say this is an awful concept. The two other films that I have mentioned are both fantastic and stick with you long after you leave the theater. However, it's a tricky concept to maneuver if the writer(s) and director(s) don't have every idea in their head predetermined. There has to be a specific reason that the people involved in this kind of film are making it. Usually these types of films are love it or hate it. I suppose this one will be for most people as well but I'm fairly on the fence about my feelings for this one.

                                               The plot? Oh yeah....I forgot to explain that. Qohen is tired of working day to day at his dead end futuristic job and decides to rebel against the highest power (I know that sounds familiar to anyone reading this as well.) However, when Qohen does this, he's assigned to a job in which he has to try to make these millions of cubes fit with one another and thus prove an idea named The Zero Theorem, which states that life has no purpose and everyone lives and dies and there's no reason for them to do so. Of course, in order to prove this, Qohen has to consistently almost but not quite figure out the idea of the cubes. A computer will tell him "0 equals 96.79 percent and 0 must equal 100 percent," and so on and so forth. The plot goes further, with a sexy, bubbly blonde (Melanie Thierry) who proves a temptation for Qohen and an annoying but helpful teen (Lucas Hedges.) I choose not to really go into the actual plot because part of the intrigue of the film is where it's headed and why.

                                            Gilliam is exactly like Lars Von Trier to me. I don't like Von Trier's film per say but I totally respect his approach to simply making what he wants to make and the audacity to make everyone watching the film furious when all is said and done. Giliam does the same with his films, including this one. The ending seems to wrap things up nicely but is rather a disguise for just how little the film and all its events ending up meaning. Waltz is incredible in a role that requires a lot of effort to pull off. This is a blank slate of a man who must be made sympathetic in order to be interesting. Faults does this with perfect ease. Waltz is very similar to Christopher Walken in that he is inherently fascinating because no one can match the type of presence that he has on screen. He continues that here and is mostly why a fair amount of the film actually works. Get someone else in his role and every single part of this film falls to pieces.

                                              First time screenwriter Pat Rushin brings a certain energy to the dialogue and situation. However, he seems more invested in the idea of this world than actually giving any of the characters any kind of, well, character. For example, Tilda Swinton shows up, seemingly just having walked off the set of Snowpiercer, as a goofy "woman" (she's actually a computer program) who serves as an overly nosy therapist to Qohen. This is a very cool and potentially great idea and while it does work to some degree, Rushin is too obsessed with the sheer bizarre nature of the character. It is never explained what her motives are or why she's even there. This happens consistently during the film. Characters that could potentially be a great counterpart for Qohen show up but are given absolutely nothing to do beside be wacky. Even the blonde and the teen, who are both on screen a lot, are just people who are there for no real reason and with no real motivation driving them. Come to think of it, Qohen is also a meaningless, non-driven character but he works simply because Waltz is so great and gives the character significantly more depth and meaning than was written for him.

                                           As you may be able to tell at this point, I don't really know my own feelings for this film. Sure, it's kind of inventive and somewhat enjoyable but it's also a shallow project with no real payoff. I feel as if this is a film that will reach cult status but more in the way that something out of Troma does than in the manner that Brazil did. I can not stress enough how incredible Waltz is but a line must be drawn somewhere between what's a good film and a film that's just a flash in the pan. This film goes across the line to just  a flash in the pan but only by  a nose. I can't say I hated it and I may even watch it again in a few years and get more out of it. However, I must say that, as of now, this is a film for anyone who wants some nice visual imagery and a great performance but who don't care if there's any purpose to what they're watching. I am not one of those people.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language and some sexuality/nudity)

Tusk Review

Animal instincts---Justin Long as a successful internet entertainer who falls victim to an evil man deep in the mountains in Tusk
                                  I guess the highest praise I can give to the new Kevin Smith horror-comedy Tusk is that there's never been anything like it. Then again, there's nothing been anything like a film where a guy gets his legs forcibly shoved down his throat yet either and I don't think I'd pay money to see that. The problem with this film is that writer-director Smith (who took it from one of his Smodcasts) constantly confuses vomit inducing and disturbing for scary. The horror element of this film is the equivalent of someone taking a bunch of dirt and putting it inside a giant open wound of theirs right in front of you. It's not scary...it's unnecessarily disgusting. For that matter, some of the comedy parts are alright but most of them give the audience a "you had to have been there" vibe. Those are mostly the equivalent of a bunch of frat boys making loud noises and laughing because only they get what the loud noises signify.

                                     The film stars Justin Long as Wallace, a horrible human being (although it takes all too long to figure that out) who runs a successful podcast with Teddy (Haley Joel Osment.) The idea of the show: Wallace goes to visit weird people to see and hear their bizarre lives first hand. Upon returning, he tells Teddy all about it and sees Teddy's reaction. One day, Wallace travels up to Canada and discovers that, for various reasons, his trip was a flop and he has no show. That is, until he discovers a  flyer promising fascinating tales. This prompts him to go into the middle of nowhere and talk to Howard (Michael Parks,) an old man with a very smart, suave Hannibal Lecter vibe. Wallace then discovers that Howard is very bad news which prompts Teddy and Wallace's girlfriend, Ally (Genesis Rodriguez) to look for him.

                                         Right down the line, the acting is great in this film. Long, Osment and Rodriguez are all terrific, giving their characters a sense of being and life that easily could have been lost in translation. Parks is the stand out, however, giving a performance that recalls the days of Vincent Price and Bela Lugosi. However, this is one boring film. There's a great horror film in this premise but then the first 20 minutes were up and I was just bored. If Smith were to have made this a short film that would be released as a bonus feature on one of his Special Edition DVD's and Blu Rays, this would probably be great. However, it keeps going and going and going. There's even a small surprise role by a well known celebrity. This is a celebrity I've soured on quite a bit over the years but they're very funny in it. However, they're funny in a way that doesn't fit the film at all. The film, at that point, has already established itself as a disturbing, dark film and then this character comes on screen giving the impression that they just came out of The Naked Gun 4 and 1/4. 

                                            Between Red State, Jersey Girl and Cop Out, Smith has certainly proven that he's not the quality writer or director he was back in the Dogma-Clerks-Chasing Amy-Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back days. Chalk Tusk up as another one of his failures. It's not completely awful, mostly due to the terrific acting and the hints of a good idea about the similarities and differences between man and animal. However, Smith has much too hard of a time finding the right tone and the film ends up being mostly a depressing, boring, impossible to swallow mess. If you sit through the whole film, you may begin to feel just as tortured and lifeless as Wallace.
(1 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for some disturbing violence/gore, language and sexual content)

God Help The Girl Review

Let the music take you away------Emily Browning as an anorexic, troubled young woman and Olly Alexander as a likable musician who befriends her in God Help The Girl
                                       There should be a term for a film that tries so hard to be reminiscent of many different other things that it ends up not finding a voice of its own. I'm sure there is and I would use that term to describe God Help The Girl if I knew what it was. This is a film that seems to have aspirations of being similar to a Wes Anderson film, a John Carney film, a Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical and a Humphrey Bogart-Ingrid Bergman love story, just to name a few. This is not to say this is a particularly bad film. It's not like it tries to rip off any of these films. It obviously has respect for all these films and pays homage to them but also proves there is such a thing as too much homage. There is some genuinely good stuff within the film but by the time the film hit 90 minutes when it could have wrapped up in 80, my patience was wearing extremely thin.

                                      Written and directed by Stuart Murdoch (of Belle & Sebastian,) the film follows Eve (Emily Browning,) an anorexic and troubled young woman who is living in a health clinic to get her back to a normal weight. Eve escapes from the clinic one night and into a club where James (Olly Alexander) is quitting his neglectful and unappreciative band. James and Eve make sure the other is alright at the club following James's fight with the band only to run into each other again. Soon, James discovers Eve has quite the set of pipes on her and they start a band. Brought into the band is a music student of James named Cassie (Hannah Murray.)

                                       This film is very much a musical but there's not nearly enough of that. Whenever the songs are being performed, the film is bubbly and about as enjoyable as it can be. However, these songs are too far in between and the stuff without them too often feels like a chore to sit through. Browning and Murray are both terrific, showing two sides of a very troubled coin and making their characters work as foils for one another. The stand out here, however, is Alexander,  who makes the character of James much more interesting and likable than is written. He brings a liveliness to the performance that boosts the film's entertainment value up quite significantly.

                                        The problem is that the script too often makes these characters not do anything. Eve is dating a scummy guy (Pierre Boulanger) who is only using her for her body. The question then is why is she letting him do this? The audience never gets an answer or even a hint of one which makes that plot completely unnecessary. Meanwhile, James is desperately falling for Eve. The best song in the film even involves a fantasy that James has about Eve in the bathtub. James is not a particularly wimpy or shy fellow so why doesn't he just let her know his feelings? No answer there, either. Cassie too often feels like she's mostly just there to be a third band member. Her character isn't given much life or meaning beyond being a part of the band. Then come the  last 30 minutes, which go on for way too long and eventually become mind numbing. By the time the film concluded, I could not care less what happens to any of these characters..I just wanted to leave the auditorium.

                                     While I can not dismiss there is some enjoyable stuff here, God Help The Girl is mostly just a long slog through a wasteland of cinematic cliches. Murdoch has proven he has extreme talent via his work in Belle & Sebastian and no doubt could make a fascinating film one day. It's just a matter of him finding coherence and originality within the film.
(1 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated)