Creed Review

Shadowboxer---Michael B Jordan as Apollo Creed's son, who gets trained by Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in Creed
                                  Creed is a film that is frustrating in its efforts to be more than it is. This is a great couple of bits that don't add up to a cohesive whole. I'd like to blame most of all the clear attempt to throw everything you know about Rocky into the hands of a different character. So destined for unearned nostalgia is this film that scenes are lifted directly out of the original Rocky with Michael B Jordan feeling like one of those people who reenact crimes years after they've been committed. However, there's an even more gaping flaw in this film---Adonis Johnson is not a very interesting or motivated character. Played by Jordan with a lot of effort but no conviction, he just feels like a character who is dropped into the middle of this world and given the legacy of Apollo Creed to hold onto. I could never tell why he wanted to be the person he's trying to become. The film simply drops us into a world where he quits his cozy bank job to chase his dreams of becoming a fighter. However, why does he want to become a fighter? The film never seems to have a desire to answer that question.

                                      The film follows Adonis as he moves to Philadelphia to follow his father's legacy. There, he meets his father's nemesis-turned-friend Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) who agrees to train him. However, he must also spend time with new love interest Bianca (Tessa Thompson,) a character that could literally not be more superfluous. Had Coogler and Covington dropped this obligatory plot, the film would have played out exactly as it did. This is less a character and more of an "insert here" plot device. Their relationship is forced and phony without even having the courtesy of adding anything to the script.

                                         The actors try for sure. Jordan gives it his all, even if he's not entirely successful. Meanwhile, Stallone reminds us how great he can be, playing a teddy bear of a man whose rough life inspires him to help Adonis out. Thompson makes an effort with absolutely nothing to do. Phylicia Rashad also has a brief but effective role as Apollo's widow Mary who took Adonis in at an early age. My suggestion for Coogler and Covington would have been to explore the well done relationship between Mary and Adonis better and cut out Adonis and Bianca completely. Try as they may, the actors can't escape the fact that this is an attempt to go "if you loved Rocky, here's Rocky, just with a different title."

                                           The film is well directed by Coogler. There's even a very well shot scene that is just a copy and paste version of the scene with Rocky running down the street in the original. Coogler adds some poetry and meaning to scenes that would have felt completely empty without an up-and-coming director such as him at the helm. Coogler and Jordan worked together on the excellent Fruitvale Station and while this effort is thin soup, especially compared to that film, there is a potential future for that team.

                                             The acting is good for what it is and the direction by Ryan Coogler is well done but the script by Coogler and Aaron Covington let the audience down at every turn. To use the old expression--"There is no there there."
(2 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for violence, language and some sensuality)











 

Victoria Review

You had one shot!---Laia Costa as a woman who finds herself in the world of crime after a crazy night out in Victoria

                     It's hard to imagine a more unpleasant film than Victoria, a French so-called thriller all done in one shot, being made but I suppose it is entirely possible if a lot of effort were put into it. It's hard to imagine what went so wrong in the production of this film. They had a great idea both from a filmmaking and writing standpoint and yet they managed to make a film that is simultaneously empty, with not much of anything happening and thoroughly unpleasant to sit through.  The film is shot in one take, which was better executed in last year's Birdman and more substantial of a technique in Russian Ark. Here, it is such a gimmick that even the few things to like about the film (Laia Costa's lead performance being the main one) end up playing second fiddle to the distracting camerawork. 

                      The film stars Costa as Victoria, a French woman who meets a group of seemingly fun men at a  nightclub. She then proceeds to spend an hour screwing around with them and not doing anything worth watching. Then, they ask her to be the driver for a job that they strongly keep confidential. The fact that this character is too stupid to realize how suspicious it is that they won't even give her a hint about the job isn't the first thing that will make audiences thoroughly dislike her, but it's the most apparent. Then, she and the gang get pursued for cops for an hour and 15 minutes.  

                      Yes, this film is two hours and 15 minutes, which means it's about 125 minutes too long. This is a cool idea for a short film (a very, very, very short film) but as a feature length film (and a longer than average one at that,) it milks the plot (what little of it there is) to a point of utter frustration. After not so long, you just wish this group would make a suicide pact and the credits would roll over the sound of a gunshot. W

                        Writer-director Sebastian Schlepper also seems to have no intent to be inventive. Why not make these people more than just unlikable, one dimensional characters? Why not give Victoria and at least one of the guys some sort of backstory? Without any reason to wanna follow these characters, the audience is just left staring into an empty void of nothing. Right off the bat, it is clear why all of these people are such lonely, miserable souls. Why would anyone besides others of their ilk wanna be around them? Why would audiences want to watch them for over two hours? It's such an unpleasant thing to sit through.

                           Costa is good and clearly tries to make an effort to bring something to this character but the writing lets her down every single time. She's clearly got a future but not in pictures that are this low on quality. As for the rest of the cast, they let the writing be their guide, which is a very bad idea they should have known not to do. By making the writing their guide to performing, they form bland, unlikable characters with no purpose. At least Costa is trying to some degree.

                             Victoria is the most unpleasant film I have had the displeasure of viewing. Each frame made me feel icky and each second moved incredibly slowly to the finish line. By the time the incredibly stupid ending came, I was just happy to finally be walking out of the theater. There's a way to do this type of film but clearly Schlepper doesn't know what that way is.

(1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated)

The Big Short Review

Bunches of hunches---Hamish Linklater and Steve Carrell as businessmen who decide to listen to a long shot financial guess in The Big Short
                                 It's inherently hard to make an interesting financial drama. Films such as Boiler Room and Glengarry Glen Ross that make the financial world thrilling are few and far between. Therefore, it is natural for a man like Adam McKay (Anchorman, The Other Guys) who brings energy and creativity to all of his films to be brought on for a film like The Big Short. While all of what McKay does with this story is entirely successful, he has made a creative, self deprecating film about the lead up to the 2007-2008 recession that manages to break through most of the cliches it could have been surrounded by.
 
                                     The film follows multiple stories about people who decide to bet against the banks, starting with narration by Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling,) a young man making his way through high finance who explains he is one of many who heard that Michael Burry (Christian Bale, the MVP who is nothing if not underused in the film) believes that the financial world is a bubble and it's about to pop, so betting against the banks is a great decision. This news also manages to get to Mark Baum (Steve Carrell,) who runs a small financial department with three assistants (Jeremy Strong, Hamish Linklater and Rafe Spall.) They decide to track down Jared in order to get the inside scoop. However, young men Jamie Shipley and Charlie Geller (Finn Wittrock and John Magaro) want to get the perks first and enlist the help of a former financial god of sorts, Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt.) Soon, all the men find themselves questioning whether or not this was the brilliant idea it initially seemed to be.

                                      All the performances are fantastic here. As previously mentioned, Bale is the best one of the lot, giving what easily could have been an over the top, not very interesting character a fascinating attitude and background. However, Gosling, Carrell, Wittrock, Magaro and Pitt all give their characters interesting spins and motivations that makes the audience root for all of them even in their worst moments.

                                        However, the star here is Adam McKay, whose screenplay (based on a popular book by Michael Lewis) and directing bring an energy to the film that easily could have been non-existent. He injects a ton of humor, including a hysterical gag that involves Jared admitting how boring what he's saying is through his narration. This makes the film investing without ever feeling like it's trying too hard. There's no strokes of overly broad comedy but rather a subtle mocking of the subject at hand.

                                           The film is flawed, however. Great actresses such as Melissa Leo, Marisa Tomei and Karen Gillan show up for a scene or two a piece and are completely wasted in the process. It felt like I could have put on a wig and done these roles. That's not to knock the actresses at all but rather to knock the fact that the script doesn't let them have any sort of meaning to their characters. Also, at a little over two hours, the film does get rather redundant and tedious at the end. For the last fifteen or twenty minutes, it does feel like McKay could have cut out some of the fat. Lastly, the film's tone does shift in a way that feels completely random and unnecessary. It's one thing to change completely from comedy to drama but there should be more of a reason to it.

                                               While there are some undeniable flaws to it, The Big Short is a mostly enjoyable, interesting film depicting an event that needed to be told in a manner such as this one. What happened behind the scenes wasn't really known and McKay, along with the A-list cast, deliver an extremely solid retelling of the side the public didn't truly know.
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity)

Spotlight Review

Hearts and craft---Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo as journalists who get deep into a religious scandal in Spotlight
                               Thomas McCarthy is an incredible filmmaker, showing a knack for telling stories about people who can be seen anywhere in films such as Win Win, The Station Agent and The Visitor. Then he made The Cobbler, a desperate and completely baffling comedy starring Adam Sandler. Coming off of that film, it's great to see him make yet another fascinating character study like Spotlight.  This film will no doubt  put McCarthy back in the, um, spotlight. This is a fascinating study of the dedication that people have, the lengths that people will go to for the truth and the fact that underestimating people is a fatal flaw many of us make.

                                   The film is based on a fascinating true story and follows a team of reporters (Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Brian d'Arcy James) at The Boston Globe. They are the Spotlight team, who work as discreet journalists, ones with the abilities to get stories that no one else can. they have their own work area and can fit into almost any situation for journalistic purposes. Think Woody Allen in Zelig as a journalist. However, they get a task to report on the recent scandals involving Catholic priests and their molesting of children. All the while, they have to deal with their bosses (John Slattery and Liev Schreiber) who get increasingly annoyed at the spirals this story takes.

                                     All around, the performances are amazing. These actors milk every emotion they can get out of these characters and give completely believable performances as dedicated journalists who become obsessed with this story. The way in which all four of the leads, along with Slattery and Schreiber, can show feelings that would take entire conversations with just a look in their eyes is incredible. For such a tough subject matter, these actors even bring some much needed humor to the film, especially Slattery, who impresses me more and more every time I see him.

                                     The script and direction by McCarthy is also spectacular (the script was co-written by Josh Singer.) McCarthy and Singer bring to light how real these issues were and how important it was to get them out to the world. Even the little details of the story and how it is uncovered are done flawlessly. A lot of filmmakers overlook how important it is to get the small details correct but McCarthy and Singer understand that every little corner of the screen matters. In this day and age, it's hard not to appreciate a filmmaker understanding that.

                                     This is also a very devastating film. There are multiple times in which the victims of the crimes are interviewed by the journalists and it's tough to watch them recall their past. This is made even better by the fact that none of these journalists are types. Although I have yet to mention any of their names (partially because I went into this film only knowing the basic story and that's the way to do it,) all of them have distinctive personalities and lives. They are people who you could see anywhere. There's one especially powerful scene involving one of the journalists and a man who attempts to defend the crime that have been committed. If your eyes aren't glued to the screen during this scene, you may want to check your pulse.
 
                                       Spotlight is a dynamite film about people who are dedicated to their craft and want the truth to be exposed. This is one of the rare films about journalism that gets it completely right. There is complete legitimacy to every decision these writers make and that makes the impact much more powerful than it could have been. Come Oscar season, this is going to be the film to look out for because it's going to scoop a ton of awards.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for some language including sexual references)

Truth Review

News, lies and alibis---Robert Redford as Dan Rather, amidst a controversy involving George W Bush's military services, in Truth.
                                    The poster for Truth shows Dan Rather (Robert Redford) sitting at a news desk, looking like he just saw a ghost, with Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) placed in a  picture atop him, looking like she's ready to explode. This is both an inaccurate and accurate portrayal of the film from the start. The film (based on Mapes's account of the story) is much more of the Mary Mapes story and barely even covers anything about Dan Rather. I suppose it's only natural that a writer such as myself has been somewhat influenced by Rather and Mapes's complete breakdown of what reporting is. They changed the face of journalism and showed that reporting the facts is not always reporting what people want to hear. However, Truth turns their story into a bland, overly preachy drama that does nothing to show the inherent intensity of the situation.

                                       The film introduces Rather rather quickly, complete with exposition about his life by CBS president Andrew Heyward (Bruce Greenwood.) Quickly, it jumps into Mapes deciding to run a smear campaign of sorts about President George W Bush. She gathers a group of writers and researchers including a military man (Dennis Quaid,) a tabloid writer (Topher Grace) and an English professor (Elisabeth Moss.)

                                          What transpires are multiple scenes in which a character just has to take a break in the action to deliver some sort of speech about the moralities of journalism. Quaid gets a few, Grace gets a few, Moss gets a few before the film forgets that she was even introduced. There's no rhyme or reason as to why one character would be making this speech at this particular moment. Rather, these moments just happen with an uneasy flow. Redford and Blanchett are excellent because they have no choice but to be. However, they, along with the rest of the cast, look like they would rather be anywhere else. There's been some complaints that Redford is not believable as Rather but he does a fine enough job of creating his persona and certainly has the voice down. Grace especially sticks out like a sore thumb, trying to convince the audience that he would ever be a journalist and failing miserably.

                                            Naturally, the director is a first timer, James Vanderbilt. He also wrote the script. His other writing credits include the 2004 John Travolta thriller Basic, Darkness Falls, The Losers (the 2010 action flop) and both The Amazing Spiderman films so clearly this film didn't exactly book a master class to make this film. As a director, he handles the actors well enough but considering the level of talent here, he wastes them to a large degree. Also, the film is ugly looking form start to finish and has absolutely no energy to it.

                                             Truth could have and should have been a great film about a fascinating story. However, it turns out to be just another failed attempt to dramatize an inherently filmic and energetic story. I imagine this film with Danny Boyle directing and Aaron Sorkin writing and assume i would be incredible. Speaking of which, just go see the far superior Steve Jobs instead of this dull as ditchwater mess.
(1 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language and a brief nude photo)

Brooklyn Review

Dedicated to you....and you---Saoirse Ronan as an Irish immigrant in New York caught up in a love triangle and Emory Cohen as one of the love interests in Brooklyn

                            After her Oscar nominated performance in Atonement, I have found myself wishing Saoirse Ronan would get more recognition. It's not like she's disappeared off the face of the earth or anything. She's been excellent in films such as How I Live Now, Byzantium and The Grand Budapest Hotel since then and yet she hasn't gotten much praise. This makes me wonder if young actresses who take on roles in more traditional mainstream fare like Jennifer Lawrence, Shailene Woodley and Elizabeth Olsen (not to discount the extreme talent of those three) have taken the spotlight away from Ronan, who  decides to go for more indy films. With the arrival of the drama Brooklyn, I can safely say that people will start giving Ronan the recognition she deserves. In fact, it would be a crime if this isn't an outcome of the film. Here, Ronan gives a deep, thought provoking, sympathetic, funny and downright phenomenal performance. As for the rest of the film, it's damned good, too.

                                 Ronan plays Ellis, a young woman who moves from Ireland to Brooklyn to find opportunities only presented in America. One of those opportunities is a boyfriend, the sweet and dedicated Tony (Emory Cohen,) whom she instantly falls for. Very quickly, Ellis and Tony get really serious (Tony even introduces Ellis to his family, who takes an instant liking to her.) However, Ellis must travel back to Ireland for reasons I choose not to say and is introduced to Jim (Domnhall Gleeson,) a lovely lad with all the charm she'll ever need. Soon, Ellis finds herself deciding between the two men, both of whom she falls for.

                                   Right off the bat, I have to mention Ronan and Cohen's excellent chemistry It is so palpable that I have a hard time believing they didn't fall in love in real life on the set. They are electric together and feel completely genuine. This is completely helped by the fact that both of them are terrific, rising young stars. Gleeson is also excellent, providing a character who Ellis would believably fall for despite her love for Tony. 

                                    The other stand out here is the screenplay, written by the wonderful Nick Hornby. As he did with last year's Wild, he takes a popular book (this one by Colm Toibin) that easily could have been turned into an unsatisfying adaptation and makes the dialogue and actions sparkle.  Hornby also cuts much more than a film about a woman caught in a love triangle should ever be allowed to. As with Wild, this is a surprisingly funny film about people trying to do the right thing while finding themselves that also lays on the emotionally devastating moments with perfection. 

                                       This is also helped by director John Crowley (who did the excellent and criminally underrated films Boy A, Intermission and Is Anybody There  but also did the bland and forgettable Closed Circuit.) Here, Crowley does a lot more than get a lot of nice landscape shots. Through his directing, he gets deep into the heart of these characters, showing why they are the way they are and making them as three dimensional and multi layered as possible. 

                                          Brooklyn is a wonderful, delightful film about the decisions we make and how they end up shaping us. It is a character study with all the aching realism that one may not expect from the movies nowadays and features some of the best performances of the year. Come Oscar time, I think Ronan, Cohen, Crowley and Hornby should all be on that nomination list.

(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality and brief strong language) 

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)

                       

No Escape Review

A racism for worst of the year----Owen Wilson as a father and businessman caught in the middle of an Asian war in No Escape
                         No Escape is a film I watched with my jaw completely dropped. It's absolutely incredible to think something this antediluvian in its racism is being released in theaters in 2015, much less that it's being marketed as a blockbuster action film. This is a disgusting film, one that would only be more racist and appalling if Owen Wilson's character was wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit for the entire film. I don't know what prompts people to make films like this and what gives them the idea that any of this can be considered entertainment but oh boy, is this film a despicable pile of garbage.

                        The film stars Wilson as Jack, a father of two lovely girls (Sterling Jerins and Claire Geare, who is wisely uncredited for her role as daughter Beeze) and a dedicated wife (Lake Bell.) They travel to an unnamed Asian country for a business opportunity presented to Jack. Soon after landing, their perfect world is in shambles when Jack realizes there is a war breaking out and the Asians (but only the bad ones, the good ones just get killed as if it's no big deal) are attacking (gasp) those white americans who are destroying their country. What persists is scene after scene of child in danger circumstances and Jack yelling at his family that they need to get to safety, both of which someone try to come across as a form of entertainment.

                          I don't know why anyone would enjoy this film. If it were this appallingly racist and uncaring and yet still intense, that's one thing. However, it's simultaneously unpleasant and boring. It's so dull, in fact, that even when Pierce Brosnan comes back as a man who leads Jack and his family, it felt incredibly anti-climatic as it was trying to build itself back up. I'm going to get into a spoiler here for a second because it's something I feel I have to bring up to talk about my true hate for this film so if you still somehow want to see this film, skip ahead to the subsequent paragraph.

                            Toward the end of the film, Jack's older daughter (so the one who's not Beeze, but is still only about 10,) has a gun to her head as the main Asian villain is forcing her to shoot her father in the face. The scene ends up with Jack's wife beating the main villain, and some of his henchmen, with a  blunt object. I can't even describe how much I wanted to punch the Dowdle brothers (who wrote this film and John Erick Dowdle directed it) in the face. Anything could potentially be acceptable in a film but this was done with such an uncaring nastiness that I had a hard time believing I was watching it.

                              I rarely say this because I am more than aware how hard it is to get a film made but John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle and everyone else involved in the making of this film should be ashamed of themselves. I think Wilson and Bell both have a ton of talent but after watching this film, I have lost a lot of respect for them. This film is a torturous experience that serves absolutely no purpose and the attempt to try and cover the racism presented by writing in some phony BS about the dangers of being an American businessman at the end makes the unbelievable racism all the more shoved in the audience's faces.

                                 No Escape is not only a bad film---it's an unforgivable one. To think this is what people deem acceptable in 2015 is just shocking. There is not a single redeeming quality in this whole mess and if DW Griffith came back from the dead and watched this film, even he would be ashamed of the ideas presented here.
(0 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, and for language)
                         
   

A Walk In The Woods Review

Stars trek---Robert Redford and Nick Nolte as long lost friends who decide to do one last hike together in A Walk In The Woods
                         A Walk In The Woods is the type of film that is not going to be for everyone, but that someone would also have to be a cynical, depressing, soulless person to entirely hate. It's a lovely little comedy-drama with two major and legendary Hollywood talents. There is nothing great about it but it made me smile from start to finish, as it will do with many people and sometimes, that's all a film needs to do to earn my recommendation. In these dog days of the end of summer, I tend to be come much less demanding and this is exactly the kind of comfortable. enjoyable film I love to see get released amongst all the garbage. This is the kind of film that won't do too well in ticket sales but will kill on cable. Come a few months from now, a lot of people will see this is playing on TBS or FX and see that it stars Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. This will prompt them to turn it on and realize what a lovely film they're watching.

                             The film stars Redford as Bill Bryson (who is a real person who wrote the book this film is based on,) a travel writer in his 70's who realizes his life has lost any spontaneity. He has an extremely caring and dedicated wife (Emma Thompson,) great grandkids and a comfortable existence. However, he has also become to accustomed to his daily life and has even been reduced to being interviewed by amateur anchormen about why he seems to have no intention to write anything new.

                          One day,  after the funeral of a friend, he decides that he will walk the Appalachian Trail, an over 2000 mile walk that even people half his age surrender to. Bill's wife insists he bring a friend along and he reluctantly has Stephen Katz (Nolte,) the only person willing to touch this expedition with a ten foot pole, join him.

                          What this film does really well is that it shows two people, played by two great actors, just being lovely. These feel like the kind of people that anyone would pass on the street and they are both sweet, caring people. Sure--they have flaws and aren't always the ideal person to have by your side on a long hike but they are dedicated to the journey and enjoy one another's company, even in the most obnoxious of times. Namely, an overly abrasive and obnoxious hiker (Kristen Schaal, whose schtick I'll give about a month before everyone becomes as unbelievably sick of it as I am.) Fortunately, her character leaves about four minutes after being introduced, right as I was about to walk out of the theater because of her.

                             Redford and Nolte have never shared screen time together but as with a lot of veteran actors first acting together (John Lithgow and Alfred Molina in Love Is Strange is another example that jumps right to mind,) they are dynamite together and have unbelievably magnetic chemistry. I instantly believed these were pals who lost contact and were excited to see each other again. They  are completely believable as two people who find one another yet again at the perfect time.

                              Both Redford and Nolte get a lot of funny moments as well. The film is incredibly touching but it also has more to offer than just gags about how these two are such old farts. They are not only funny in their own rights but they are extremely funny together. Their banter makes for some extremely amusing moments. There are some things that feel shoved into the film, however. Specifically, Mary Steenburgen shows up as a hotel manager who seems to have the hots for Bill. However, seeing as Bill is married and faithful to his wife, this plot point goes absolutely nowhere. This plot point is mostly forgiven, though, because Steenburgen proves herself a good counterpoint to Redford's half-ready to give up old man.

                                  While the comedy mostly works, the better moments are the ones that try (and completely succeed) to be touching. One moment where Stephen confronts Bill about his alcoholism is particularly great and admittedly brought a few tears to my eyes. These moments give the film the weight that make it as simultaneously enjoyable and deep as it is.
   
                                   Like I said, this film will not be for everyone. If you're already rolling your eyes at the idea of Nolte and Redford as two old men who have witty banter in the woods, this film will have you running for the exits. However, A Walk In The Woods is a lovely (I know I've used that word a lot in this review but there's no word to better describe it), very well done comedy-drama that will prove to be an extremely fun time for anyone who just wants to see two legendary actors be great together for the first time.
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language and some sexual references)
                             
                       

Irrational Man Review

No flight of the Phoenix--Emma Stone as a college student and Joaquin Phoenix as a philosophy professor in Irrational Man
                           Irrational Man, the latest from Woody Allen, is only a film in the sense that it has moving images and sounds on a screen. This is a miserable, depressing experience that doesn't exactly start out as a classy venture and yet manages to get progressively worse every second it inches along. This film doesn't have characters, a story, dialogue, ETC. Sure, actors show up and say a few words but there's no link between any two words any of these people say nor any of the "events" that "take place" on screen. I use quotation marks to indicate that nothing really happens. There are just movements by people on a screen.

                        Whenever I went to my local arthouse theater (even a week before this atrocity opened,) I saw the poster for it and yet had only vague hints of seeing the trailer once. Considering this is a "film" by Woody Allen, it seemed to be completely under marketed. Watching it, I realized why. Even a first time director with no dignity whatsoever would feel completely ashamed of having made something like this. Before I come across as too much of a jerk, I understand films are an incredibly hard thing to get made and I suppose I can give Allen the benefit of the doubt and say he put effort in and it just wasn't in the cards this time. However, this film is so pathetic and sad that I still can't tell whether I should hate it or pity it.

                            Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, both at great points in their respective careers, will no doubt be able to shake this off as a misfire. Allen has made so many clunkers over the years that this will just go down as another one of those. However, this was near unwatchable to me (I literally almost left 18 times, and it's only a little over 90 minutes!!!) Allen has made some terrible films. However, I never found one this unpleasant. Between Aloha and this, Stone seems to be trying to prove that her Oscar nomination for Birdman was just a flash in the pan and has helped in providing two of the most unpleasant movie going experiences I have had this year. She's an extremely talented actress but she needs to find a new agent because she's terrible in these roles. Phoenix has also caused me two of the most unpleasant experiences this year. Between Inherent Vice and this garbage, this talented and versatile actor who is almost always interesting (he was actually the only genuinely good part of Inherent Vice) perhaps needs to reconsider the roles he is taking. As for Parker Posey in a brief role that is simply the Town Bimbo, she's a solid actress but needs to find a different role to put herself back in the spotlight.

                               There is something to be said about a film that causes me to write a review that is simply an angry rant. I almost have to give Irrational Man credit for being a film that is a level of awful I have never seen before  and will never see again. However, it is all too dull and unpleasant to give that much credit. I don't know what went wrong that all these talented people came together for such an abysmal production. I would love to see the making of for this garbage. It would be fascinating to see who is to blame (if anybody, really.) Perhaps it was truly just an incredibly unfortunate production. For now, I'll just warn you not to be shocked if this ends up in a  spot that comes before #2 on my worst of 2015 list come January 2016.
(0 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for some language and sexual content)

The Diary Of A Teenage Girl Review

Growing into it----Bel Powley as a teenager whose mother (Kristen Wiig) seems painfully unaware of her sleeping around in The Diary Of A Teenage Girl
                               The Diary Of A Teenage Girl is a film written and directed by a woman, based on a novel by a woman and feels like no less would have been acceptable in this politically correct times. This is strange because the film is most reminiscent of James Toback and Todd Solondz (especially When Will I Be Loved, with its heavy sexual themes and Welcome To The Dollhouse, with its theme of a young woman coming into her own.) Just like films by these two directors, writer-director Marielle Heller's film (based on a novel by Phoebe Gloeckner) is uncomfortably close to home in the ways it explores the idea of human interaction and the temptation to push that interaction over the edge. However, it's also an enthralling, inventive and somewhat quirky drama held together by the lead performance of Bel Powley.

                                  The film follows Minnie (Powley,) a socially awkward, neurotic teenage girl living in 1970s San Francisco who is tired of being looked at as a kid. One day, she makes a proposal to her mother (Kristen Wiig)'s sleazy kind of boyfriend Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard) to engage in sexual relations privately. Immediately, Monroe seizes the opportunity but Minnie soon finds out that it's not all about the carnal nature of a relationship.

                                   Powley is excellent here, showing a tortured soul who just wants to feel grown up. Every little look she gives, movement she makes, ETC, totally informs Minnie. Her performance completely reminded me of Heather Matarazzo's brilliant work in Solondz's Welcome To The Dollhouse. This is as fully realized a film character as I have seen. Skarsgard also does a really good job, showing once again that no one plays a creepy weirdo quite like him. Wiig provides solid supporting work as the completely oblivious mother.


                                    As adapted by Heller, the screenplay is dynamite. The way the interactions always seem to be teetering on the creepy is so flawlessly done it often made me very uncomfortable to listen to the characters talk. Even a conversation between Minnie and Monroe about food is so wickedly evil in its own little way that the viewer can't help but be engaged, no matter how much they are cringing. Minnie's whole way of speaking totally informs who she is viewed as VS. who she actually wants to be. There is obvious hesitant in her to sleep with Monroe from the get-go but she feels the obligation to. The first bit of dialogue between she and Monroe perfectly shows this strained connection the two have.

                                      The direction is also really good. Heller, along with the set designers, costume designers and other crew members, should be praised for the look of the film. I've always found the 1970s is the toughest decade to pull off in film and they absolutely nail it here. Not only the way the surroundings and clothes look but the way people talk and act totally brings the decade back to life.

                                       The film does drag a bit as it reaches its conclusion and it feels as if there are a couple of moments that feel more shoved in than perhaps they should have been. However, The Diary Of A Teenage Girl is a risky, engaging, altogether successful film that makes me realize just how much I miss the prime years of Toback and Solondz.

(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity, drug use, language and drinking-all involving teens)
                   

The Stanford Prison Experiment Review

Simulated experiment, real harm---Tye Sheridan as one of many college students who get caught up in the idea of a fake jail in The Stanford Prison Experiment
                                  The Stanford Prison Experiment is an amazing story. The experiment itself was a real thing that took place at the titular college back in 1971. It was run by a man named Phillip Zimbardo and the fact that any of it ever happened is fairly incredible to think about. The human brain is a very complex tool. When given nothing to do, it often seems to wander out of one's head. However, when given nothing but control, it takes full advantage of this newfound power like a moth to light. The new film from director Kyle Patrick Alvarez and writer Tim Talbott is a completely electrifying and visceral experience. It is a perfectly enclosed little indie film, with a great sense of just why this experiment went so, so wrong.

                                    For those not familiar with this experiment, it is the summer of 1971 at Stanford University. Twenty-four male students who all have spite toward the people in power are picked for an experiment. The idea--twelve will be shoved into prison (which is just a hallway in an empty campus building,) complete with a real police officer coming to their house and arresting them. The other twelve will be given the role of guards. However, Professor Phillip Zimbardo (Billy Crudup) will be closely observing these guards to assure that nothing gets crazy. Oh boy, do things get crazy.

                                      The guards eat up the power they were against just a few days ago. One guard, Christopher (Michael Angarano) even gets so caught up that he puts on a Cool Hand Luke-style southern accent and immediately grabs the respect (or at least reluctant faking of respect) every time he even breathes near them. Naturally, other guards follow his lead, especially one seemingly harmless guy (Nicholas Braun) who figures if he can get the prisoners to do whatever he wants, why not make them? This sets off a chain of unbelievably creepy events that even lead to extreme breakdowns by some of the prisoners.

                                        One thing that Alvarez and Talbott do exceptionally well is show that who became who was just in the flip of a coin. If the prisoners and guards were the other way around, it is more likely than not that the exact same thing would have happened. It's easy for the prisoners to say they would never do what the guards are doing but until you get that power, how do you truly know your full potential?

                                          Alvarez and Talbott also do a wonderful job of giving all perspectives. We see how reasonably disturbed the prisoners are but we also see why Zimbardo doesn't want to stop, even when he sees the chaos, why Zimbardo's girlfriend, Christina (Olivia Thirbly) thinks he should and why the guards can't help but become this way. One particular aspect is showing the guard's true colors. We see that Christopher is not really a bad guy at all. He's a nice guy who just has trouble holding back from using his power. This is also due to the performance of Angarano. While everyone is great in here (the cast is filled to the brim with up and coming actors such as Tye Sheridan, Ezra Miller, Kier Gilchrist, Johnny Simmons, Moises Arias, Jack Kilmer and Thomas Mann,) Angarano takes the cake.
       
                                       He is fascinating to watch from start to finish. From the first scene he appears in which he is being interviewed for a position in the experiment, he brings both humanity and an uneasy feeling that he may unexpectedly snap to the character. I haven't seen such a rich and complex performance in quite some time. However, everyone is wonderful. One of the biggest compliments I can give the actors is that despite knowing almost all of them extremely well, not once did I see the actor come out in any of them. I not only completely bought their characters but didn't even recognize them within the performance.

                                        The ending is also totally profound. I understand that the ending is the one part Alvarez and Talbott had to take some creative licensing on. Knowing a lot about the real experiment (it's such a fascinating thing to read and hear about,) I can say what they did is not completely farfetched. While the real experiment does not exactly conclude the way the film portrays it, the idea of the real ending is still pretty much there. They did, however, also manage to write in a fascinating ending that says a lot about human beings and who we are.

                                           The Stanford Prison Experiment is a completely worthwhile thriller (yes, it's in that genre simply because of how damn creepy the events are) that demands to be seen at least once. The complete sense of realism created by Alvarez, Talbott and their crew of phenomenal young actors is unlike anything I've ever seen. If there's ever such a thing as time traveling back to a certain event, this is it. Whether or not you know about this story, see this film as soon as you can!
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language including abusive behavior and some sexual references)

Mistress America Review

New York state of mind---Lola Kirke & Greta Gerwig as soon to be sisters who meet up in The Big Apple in Mistress America
                            I've always had a like-strongly dislike relationship with Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig, the two minds behind the new comedy Mistress America. Often the films they make and characters they produce feel way too quirky to ever really enjoy. Other times, they get into a more subdued state and impress the hell out of me. In this year's fantastic drama Eden, Gerwig has a brief but effective role as a former lover of the main character. Baumbach has produced some gems from Kicking And Screaming to the criminally underrated The Squid And The Whale to this year's very enjoyable While We're Young.
                           The quirk level on this newest independent comedy is high and it really took me a while to warm up to it but the more I thought about the film, the more I liked it. The film does have a lot of the usual tropes that I don't like in Baumbach & Gerwig (who wrote the screenplay together, Gerwig is one of the two leads, Baumbach directs) but this one is short, sweet and to the point. I was not a big fan of their last big collaboration, Frances Ha (it may be important to note that Baumbach & Gerwig have been together since 2011 and thus will continue to make films together as long as their relationship doesn't fall apart.) The problem I had with that film is the quirkiness was the entire film. Every time Frances (Gerwig) opened her mouth, I wanted to just tell her to stop. But I digress & am now unfairly comparing two films.
                             What works in Mistress America is the fact that the quirkiness of it all is just one part of the overall film. Gerwig does do her usual Zooey Deschanel-lite schtick but it's in service of the character rather than being the entire character. In one particular moment set in a house of someone Gerwig used to know, she even does a bit in which she "rewinds" herself. In a film with less restraint, this would have completely bugged me. Here, it's just part of the character.
                                The plot follows Tracy (Kirke,) an awkward but sweet college student who finds out her mother is planning to remarry. One particularly lonely night, she decides to call her sister-in-law to be, Brooke (Gerwig) and they decide to have a night out together. However, their relationship gets much deeper when a fortune teller informs Brooke that she still has business in her life to take care of.
                                In my opinion, the best scene is one early in the film set in a dingy bar. Without giving away what happens in the scene, it is incredibly well done in how it will leave audiences divisive about what to make of it. After my screening, I heard many people debating this scene and whether it tried to convey X or Y. This scene also stays completely away from the quirk and allows the audience to see these people through a different light.
                                 Gerwig & Kirke have amazing chemistry, instantly making it totally believable that these two people not only enjoy one another but largely need the other. At the Q&A that followed my screening, Gerwig mentioned that she and Kirke were enjoying each other's company on set so much, Baumbach often got irritated with them. This is totally seen through their natural interactions and palpable chemistry.
                                   The film does have some problems, however. While it is enjoyable and nicely subdued for the majority of the running time, the quirkiness is a bit too much at first. When we first meet Brooke, I felt as if Gerwig was still trying to figure the character out for a bit. It's not until the scene in the bar that I didn't feel as if Gerwig was overdoing Brooke. She seemed to treat her as more of an idea than an actual person. That wasn't the right approach and fortunately she begun to realize that. Also, the extended sequence in the house does drag on for a bit too long. It was a clever set up for a 10 minute gag but it went on past the point of being enjoyable. Half of the film if not more is set in this house and after a while, it's just not funny or charming or at all good anymore. Lastly, the film's finale is very touching but would have been so much more effective if it weren't so convenient. At the end, everything is wrapped up in too much of a bow. It's the completely overused cliche of the thing that splits the characters apart before they ultimately get back together. That cliche isn't even so bad if it produces a worth while reveal, middle part and conclusion. However, this film only takes around 10 minutes after the reveal to get Tracy and Brooke back together. This led to a finale that was touching but also felt incredibly rushed.
                                  Mistress America  clocks in at 84 minutes and that was certainly enough. For the most part, I enjoyed what Baumbach and Gerwig had to offer. However, I was glad it ended when it did because it ultimately ends up feeling like an ice cream headache---delicious at first before becoming too much to handle.
(3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language including some sexual references)