The Grand Budapest Hotel Trailer

Looks like another delightful film from Wes Anderson (director of Moonrise Kingdom and many other awesome movies).

Mediocrity at its most Mediocre! - Runner Runner, Prisoners, Gravity, and Don Jon

It's been a pretty mediocre month of movies. But, being the film warrior that I am, I have stalwartly gone to see most of them anyway. No, not Rush. But, pretty much all the other ones. So, let's wrap up crappy ole September and (part of) October and get on to GOING TO BE AWESOME November. (Be sure to check out my list of November movies and trailers that can be found on the lower right side of the page!)

I am so underwhelmed by most of these movies that I'm not putting in pictures of them or, let's be honest, any effort into full reviews.

Runner Runner
Let's break down the main problems with this movie.

• Justin Timberlake is the lead. Now, I'm into JT as a muscian, as a personality, as a comedian, heck - as an annoying character in The Social Network, but JT cannot sustain a dramatic movie. You just watch him and feel that he's thinking, "I am so acting right now." And he's not. He's just doing this staring intensely thing. 
• Ben Affleck is not scary. They try to establish him as this intimidating character in his first scene when he says f*ck like 4 times and talks about all the *other word for kitty* he gets as king of his little island. You feel like laughing. You watch and think, Jennifer Garner is at some farmers market with your adorable children right now. He doesn't even do full-on bad guy stuff. He throws some guys to get eaten by crocodiles, and then he pulls them out... Oh, Ben. 
• You literally don't care what's happening. Is there a plot? I can't remember. (Bullet points one and two really contribute to this).

Prisoners
This movie felt very much like a two hour episode of CSI or whatever crime show you prefer. All the acting by Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano, and the rest of the cast is better than the acting would be in a show like that, but that's really the only difference. The switching between Gyllenhaal and Jackman's point of view lessens the impact of the film overall; you don't become fully immersed in either character. The mystery aspect is decent, and the film is somewhat suspenseful. But, I'd rather watch an episode of Sherlock any day.

Gravity
I've been hearing a lot of mixed reviews of this film, so I guess I'll just throw mine into the ring. I was bored. I know, it seems like it would be difficult to be bored when so many crazy, dangerous, space things are happening, but I was bored. You don't really get any introduction to the characters or what's happening, you're just thrown in space and expected to care about what's going on. Why should I care? I have no way to relate to anything that is happening. It's constant life-threatening scenarios in space. What would I know about that? Any flicker of humanity doesn't show up until about 2/3 into the movie.

Now, I've been told that it just needs to be appreciated as art. Okay, fine. If you want to just experience beautiful, space views, maybe you'll like this movie. If you want to marvel at the elegance of a 20 minute take, go for it. But, I need a bit more when I see a movie. I need a reason to care about what's happening on screen. (ALSO, SHE SHOULD HAVE DIED LIKE 20 TIMES).

Don Jon
As a big Joseph Gordon Levitt fan, I was really hoping JGL would hit a home run with his first film. And, out of all these movies, Don Jon was probably my favorite. It's certainly not everyone's cup of tea, as a large portion of the film is dedicated to the main character's obsession with porn. If the idea of that makes you squirm, you probably shouldn't see this one. But, if you're a girl looking to get a peek into the male psyche, you man find this interesting.

JGL uses the cliche of a guy just out to hook up with a new girl every night and takes a deeper look into who he that guy is. Not a romanticized version of that guy where he suddenly falls in love and changes everything about himself, but a guy who is dealing with all the issues of being in a relationship for the first time. It also looks at one type of girl out there. The one willing to change everything about her boyfriend to create perfect husband material. Scarlett Johansson does a great job playing someone who is both not that different from your best friend, but also someone the audience can't side with. There's a lot of really interesting boy-girl dynamic stuff for your brain to nosh on. Seeing which character you side with at which point will make you think. The film certainly had it's flaws, but it was the most original and intriguing of this bunch,

Obscure Movie(s) of the Week!

One of the great things about living in New York is that every weekend about 5-6 movies come out. 1-2 of those are normal movies that everyone has heard about. But, the rest are misfit little indies that only New Yorkers (and sometimes those weirdos who live in LA) get to see. For someone addicted to film, this is perfect for me. So here are the 3 random movies I saw last weekend that you've probably never heard of. But hey, maybe now you'll check them out when they come to Netflix. 

The Short Game
Something about tiny children being so stressed out is really fun to watch. They picked some kids with really interesting personalities and stories to follow, so this little documentary is heartwarming and tension-packed (for golf).

C.O.G.
Based on an essay written by David Sedaris (which I haven't read), Jonathan Groff does an excellent job of portraying a snarky and cynical young man who has spent his life as one of the privileged few and is seeking a new type of experience with "the other half." As is to be expected with a quest like that, he doesn't really find what he's looking for. There is no magical realization that we are all one with nature or God, but Groff takes us on an emotional and witty journey that feels honest and heartbreaking.

Thanks for Sharing
Yes, it's about sex addicts. BUT, it's still an incredible movie. That's right, I said incredible. Whether you believe that sex addiction is a real thing or not isn't really relevant to appreciating the truly great acting and writing in this movie. The relationships are intricate and complicated and not always what you expect, just like in real life. Josh Gad gives a stellar performance, and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors. I also enjoyed Patrick Fugit (AKA Patrick from Saved!) and his family dynamic with Tim Robbins. PLUS, Pink is in this movie, which is awesome. I'd definitely recommend it.

What Haven't I Seen? - 10 One Sentence (roughly) Reviews

Review Roundup! The Wolverine, The Spectacular Now, Elysium, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

As an X-Men fan and someone who usually thinks a little of something I love is better than none at all, I was planning on enjoying just being back in the mutant world. But, sadly, The Wolverine missed the campy, but enjoyable boat, and too often fell into the cheesy and poorly done end of the spectrum. 

The two biggest culprits were the bordering-on-horrible script and BEYOND overdone and ridiculous character of Viper. It seems that they basically assumed ninjas + Wolverine = movie magic. Apparently not true. None of the jokes really hit, often falling loudly flat. There were long, silly, unnecessary sequences, like when Wolverine battles old Japanese ladies to take a bath. And, aside from those nonsense moments, there were also a lot of strange character relationship choices made. From who falls for each other to who betrays each other to why anyone basically does anything - it's all a little muddled. Both Japanese female leads add some freshness and talent to the mix, but Viper is so terrible and confusing a character she cancels out any positive effects that they might have had. Why is it that everyone else in the movie dresses in normal clothes, but Viper wears skin-tight green jumpsuits? I guess they were hoping absurd costumes would make up for her complete lack of motive. The plot wasn't totally hopeless, but they truly killed the movie when they ended with a big robot (my ultimate pet peeve in a world with so many other interesting option).

Having heard a lot of positive buzz about The Spectacular Now coming out of the festival circuit, I was excited to see if Shailene Woodley would actually try to act in this movie (as opposed to how she usually just plays a whiny teenager). I ended up finding some things to love and some things to hate. 

Miles Teller (the male lead) gives an amazing performance, sure to land him a lot of offers in the near future. Playing a young man searching for anything to connect with, Teller's performance is honest and heartbreaking, but in a totally unrehearsed and non-Hollywood way. A lot of this is surely due to the fresh script and directing that make this movie seem distinctly indie, yet likable. However, where the script and concept go terribly wrong is with Shailene Woodley's character. I don't think it's a spoiler when I say that the two characters begin falling for each other, but what genuinely doesn't make sense is why. While I don't think it's Woodley performance at fault (her dedication to seeing this weak, teen character through is almost to be admired), her character is so painfully desperate and insecure that it makes you cringe. There is nothing extraordinary about her. This is harsh, but I also think it's ridiculous that no one seemed to bother to make her an interesting female character. They said, "Just put this pretty girl in front of the camera wearing no make up, and everyone will see the true beauty in her." Yes, you can see that she's pretty, but no one wrote a personality for her. She becomes obsessed with Teller's character much too quickly and develops an absurd devotion to him. While this may be a somewhat accurate portrayal of some teenage girls, too easily swept away by the first guy who notices them, it seems offensive rather than truthful. If you can get past Woodley's uncomfortably cliche and boring character, there are some great moments featuring Teller in this film.

Having been surprised by how much I liked District 9, I was feeling hopeful about Neill Blomkamp's follow-up film, Elysium. It's not a sequel, but takes place in a similarly dystopian future. And while it seems to have all the right ingredients, it doesn't quite hit home like District 9 did. 

The first problem may be Matt Damon. Don't get me wrong, I am a Damon fan, but his character's strange background of having grown up in some sort of Mexican slum, comes off a little contrived rather than endearing. You see him as a man trying to turn his life around, making an honest living after years of crime. But, even when the robot authorities punish him for no reason, you still don't know if this is a guy worth rooting for. When he takes on the quest to bring Elysium (floating home of the rich run by Jodie Foster) down, the plot at least becomes more fun. There are some crazy and theatrical performances from other bit characters that bring some grit and reality back to the movie, like the psychotic assassin, Kruger and Damon's cut-throat employer, Spider. As with District 9, Blomkamp creates a very believable and immersive world that draws you in through it's portrayal of poverty and advanced technology. Although there are some simplifications of plot that seem pretty unlikely, you can still have a good time at this summer action flick with a brain. 

Call me an eternal optimist (although I'm not sure why you would), but I was hoping Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters might be fun. Fun, as well as asthma from saying the title, was what I got when I saw Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. So, I was sure that the sequel would provide the same mindless, enjoyable entertainment. Wrong.

As much I wanted to like this movie, willed this movie to be good, it just... sucked. It wasn't funny, none of the characters were developed or interesting, and it was boring. I think you pretty much get it, so I won't harp too much. Basically, you can see how the books would have filled in details that could make this an okay story, but the movie just seemed hollow and lame. Womp womp.

Stay tuned for my updates on Paranoia and Kick-Ass 2 coming soon!

Acronym Trailer Day! C.O.G. Trailer and A.C.O.D. Trailer

Adapted from a David Sedaris essay, C.O.G. is an autobiographical story about a guy trying to force himself to have some life experiences with pretty hilarious results. Starring Jonathan Groff.

A.C.O.D. or Adult Child of Divorce is a dramedy starring Adam Scott and a comedically gifted cast including Amy Poehler and Jessica Alba. 

Both have potential for some laughs and some heart-string-tugging. 

Her Trailer

A man falls in love with a machine. A machine with Scarlett Johansson's voice. Deeeeeeep.