I've attempted to organize film reviews by genre. Here you will find Dramas, Comedies, and Documentaries
Drama
Two Days, One Night is a film that I ended up liking more than I anticipated because when I left the theatre after the screening I thought, Meh. This is a very simple little French film starring Marion Cotillard. It follows a woman who is on the verge of a breakdown as she faces unemployment. She spends her weekend visiting all of her co-workers to beg them to vote to keep her even though it would mean no one would get their $1000 bonus. Cotillard starts off with the stakes so high it was hard for her to take it anywhere else. In this way the film felt a bit forced and flat. That said, the film stuck with me and I kept coming back to it in the months after watching it in Telluride. I felt every minute of that film and I think that was a project of the film. I am a fan of the Dardennes and recommend all of their films, particularly Le Fils, Rosetta, and L'Enfant. 4/5
Mark my words, Jack O'Connell is about to blow up! This kid has got serious chops (also see Starred Up). '71 is about a night in the life of a young agnostic British soldier who is separated from his unit and ends up alone and lost in Belfast following a riot. This is a very intense film, and frankly unless you know some of the more complex details of the struggle some elements might be confusing. However, don't be discouraged. This is about a disoriented young man, so the audience is likewise disoriented with him, and it works. 4/5
Mommy made me scream and shout out loud because I was so excited and it was so exhilarating! Mommy is the most recent film from Xavier Dolan--Quebec's wunderkind. I highly recommend his other films, particularly Les amours imaginaires and J'ai tué ma mère. Mommy is a film about mothers (and I really dig movies about mothers). It's quite an unusual film, in theme, narrative, and aesthetic. It was shot and is presented in 1x1 aspect ratio--that is a square that appears to be a vertical rectangle when projected on-screen. I was worried this would be gimmicky and hard to watch, rather it was used expertly and hugely effectively. The aspect ratio helps convey a heavy sense of claustrophobia that is suffocating and oppressive, underscoring the tumultuous, violent, and chaotic relationship between mother and son. Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clement, and Antoine-Olivier Pilon are perfection here. 5/5
There is so much right with Birdman. First off, the triumphant return to leading role status, I couldn't have been more excited to see Michael Keaton in Birdman. The meta-textual connections to Keaton's real-life career and to his Batman legacy were completely delicious and satisfying. Secondly, I love films with long takes. Give me a Bela Tarr film any time. LOVE films with long slow moving camera shots so about 25 minutes into Birdman, when I realized what Innaritu was doing with the film's form, my brain melted in the best way possible. No visible cuts?! The film one long seamless take?! Yes please!! This film is completely enjoyable and wacky. 4/5
Gone Girl is an American thriller directed by David Fincher, and adapted from the novel by Gillian Flynn. Gone Girl is about the aftermath of the disappearance of a beautiful young wife, Amy. The film is essentially a mystery about the events surrounding Amy's disappearance, and the consequences that her husband, Nick, has to endure when he becomes a suspect. This film is absolutely riveting. It unfolds in two parts, one showing the events through the perspective of the husband, and then through the wife's eyes. In many ways this film is about the disintegration of a marriage. Rosamund Pike is excellent as the icy Amy. 4/5
Boyhood is a remarkable feat of filmmaking. This is a coming-of-age drama set and shot over the course of 12 years. Director Richard Linklater followed his cast, filming for a few weeks for 12 summers. Boyhood stars Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as the parents and casts unknown Elar Coltrane as Mason and Linklater's daughter Lorelei as the children. The film follows Mason from ages 6 to 18 as he grows up in Arlington Texas with his sister and single mom. As with most coming of age films this film hits all the typical milestones but Linklater really does deliver. My only comment is that (particularly for Texas) this film was lacking in diversity. Otherwise, this is a great coming-of-age family drama about growing up in the US in the 2000s. If you are interested in films that were shot over long periods of time you might like to check out Micheal Apted documentary series Up, that began following a group of British children at age 7 (7 Up) and has followed them every 7 years. There are now 8 installments, the most recent was 56 Up. Also, Micheal Winterbottom directed a film starring Shirley Henderson, called Everyday. Everyday follows an Irish family (mom and 4 kids) while their father is in prison. The film was shot over 5 years using 4 real life siblings as the children. Boyhood 4/5
Foxcatcher is an American Drama/Thriller based on real events. Foxcatcher is the truly bizarre story of John Du Pont, heir to the Du Pont fortune, and his obsession with the Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz. Steve Carell is unrecognizable here under heavy prosthetics and make up, and he's oh sooooo good. Likewise, Tatum and Ruffalo bring their A-game. Tatum is completely riveting as Mark, he's barely recognizable as the heavy brute with an underbite. He's a very physical actor and uses his body here expertly. So many actors take their bodies and faces for granted. Not Tatum, he uses his being masterfully. This is a quiet, slow-burn, but rather intense film. 4/5
Suburbia is a low-budget independent film by Penelope Spheeris (Decline of Western Civilization, Wayne's World). Suburbia is about a group of homeless punk kids in LA who are squatting in an abandoned suburban housing development. This is a stellar film about chosen family, community, punk ethos, poverty, and abuse. There are some terrific live performances throughout including TSOL and The Vandals. Keep your eyes open for baby Mike B "Flea". 5/5
All my favorite Fellini's are the ones starring his wife Julietta Masina (check out Nights of Cabiria and Variety Lights). Subsequently these are his films that lean more heavily on the tradition of Italian Neo-Realism than his more Surreal films such as Satyricon and 8 1/2. Here, Masina is brilliant as Gelsomina--a young woman sold by her mother to a travelling sideshow strong-man, Zampano, played by Anthony Quinn. Gelsomina is forced to leave her life and follow Zampano on the road. He treats her absolutely horribly, but finally breaks away, goes out on her own, and finds her own path. This film is utterly beautiful and tragic. 5/5
Rumble Fish is one of Coppola's lesser-known films. Rumble Fish was written during days off while shooting The Outsiders in Tulsa Oklahoma and was shot in the weeks following The Outsiders. Both films are adaptations of books by SE Hinton, about young people growing up in the early 1960s. While The Outsiders is a more straightforward adaptation, Rumble Fish has been described (by Coppola himself) as an art film for kids. As a result, the film is crammed with symbolism and literary references. Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, and Dennis Hopper make this film. Keep your eyes peeled for a baby Nick Cage and Vincent Spano, and Tom Waits. The heavy percussive score by Stewart Copeland is intense. This is truly a masterpiece shot in glorious black and white. 5/5
This is a most exceptional example of stellar Independent American cinema--it was made with no studio money and Cassavetes mortgaged his home to make the picture. Mabel is the mother of three school aged children and wife of construction worker Nick. Mabel clearly lives with some kind of mental health issues--the specifics of which are irrelevant. After a breakdown Mabel voluntarily goes for in-patient treatment at a psychiatric hospital while Nick stays home with the kids. This film is remarkable for so many reasons, not in the least the stellar performances all around. It's a raw, volatile, chaotic portrait of family, of motherhood, and of mental illness. The film was a critical success and won many awards. Gena Rowlands is a tour-de-force. She was nominated for the Oscar and won the Golden Globe, amongst others. It is protected on the National Film Registry in the USA. This is such a touching, stunning, exceptional film. 5/5
3-Iron is a South Korean romantic drama directed by Kim Ki-Duk. Ki-Duk makes a variety of films, some beautiful, quiet, and somber such as 3-Iron and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring, others gruesome, violent, and shocking such a The Isle and Bad Guy. 3-Iron is about a silent drifter who breaks into people's homes in order to fix broken appliances and to clean. When he breaks into a house he thinks is empty, it turns out he's being watched by a similarly quiet, young abused wife. The two begin a silent romance. This is an astonishingly beautiful film. I like quiet films and this is certainly quiet. This film is worth every precious minute. 5/5
I'm a big Alex Cox fan. Repo Man and Straight to Hell are stellar little punk rock movies. Cox's Sid and Nancy, however, is more than that; it's a remarkable piece of cinema. Don't be mistaken, while based on real people and actual events, this is not really so much a bio-pic as a portrait of self-destruction. Cox did little research and fictionalizes quite a bit. The result is the raw and poignant story of young love through a drug and alcohol fuelled haze. Oldman and Webb are brilliant. 5/5
A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, US, 1974) This is a most exceptional example of stellar Independent American cinema--it was made with no studio money and Cassavetes mortgaged his home to make the picture. Mabel is the mother of three school aged children and wife of construction worker Nick. Mabel clearly lives with some kind of mental health issues--the specifics of which are irrelevant. After a breakdown Mabel voluntarily goes for in-patient treatment at a psychiatric hospital while Nick stays home with the kids. This film is remarkable for so many reasons not in the least the stellar performances all around. It's a raw, volatile, chaotic portrait of motherhood and of mental illness. Gena Rowlands was nominated for the Oscar and won the Golden Globe amongst others. The film was a critical success and won many awards. It is protected on the National Film Registry in the USA. 5/5
3-Iron is a South Korean romantic drama directed by Kim Ki-Duk. Ki-Duk makes a variety of films, some beautiful, quiet, and somber such as 3-Iron and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring, others gruesome, violent, and shocking such a The Isle and Bad Guy. 3-Iron is about a silent drifter who breaks into people's homes in order to fix broken appliances and to clean. When he breaks into a house he thinks is empty, it turns out he's being watched by a similarly quiet, young abused wife. The two begin a silent romance. This is an astonishingly beautiful film. I like quiet films and this is certainly quiet. This film is worth every precious minute. 5/5
The Imitation Game is about mathematician Alan Turing who, with a team of mathematicians, cracked the enigma code and helped Britain win the war against the Nazis in WWII. Cumberbatch was good and all, so was Mathew Goode and even Kiera Knightley. Turing was gay, which was against the law in the UK. He committed suicide in 1954 after a year of court mandated chemical castration following a sexual indecency charge. The film, while it mentions his sexuality several times, it does little more than mention it. Normally, this might bother me. However, I thought that the way it was handled allowed the focus to be on his amazing work and not on his sexuality. This film was under 2 hours, and yes, it is interesting, but it could have been longer. 4/5
Black or White is a family drama starring Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer. After the sudden death of his wife, a grandfather finds himself in the middle of a racially heated custody battle with the paternal grandmother of the granddaughter he has raised from birth--after the sudden death of his 17 yr old daughter during childbirth. This movie family dramas all over the place. I guess it's inspired by real events... Nothing's perfect, this is an adequate drama. The young Jillian Estell is great as Eloise the granddaughter. Bill Burr shines as the totally straight laced lawyer/friend. I've never been a Costner fan; he's solid here. 3/5
Gabriel is a drama about a young man who has been released from a mental hospital. While the film (expertly) avoids diagnosing Gabriel it does falls into a few old tropes about mental illness and "danger." This is a good, solid film. It's super tense where it needs to be. 3.5/5
Requiem is a strange beast. This is a German film set in the 1970s, about an epileptic girl who comes to believe she is possessed by demons, after she stops taking her medication. Apparently, the actual events lead to the girl's death after several days of exorcism and also inspired the American film The Exorcism of Emily Rose. This is a drab, slow, mundane film and is rather anti-climactic, and that is why it's so haunting and good. This is not a horror film, and there are no special effects. 4/5
Joe. Wow. So good. I'm not typically a Cage fan, but he's great when he's great. In Joe, he is great. Tye Sheridan. Wow, keep your eyes peeled. This kid is the real deal. Joe is his third film of, no doubt, many to come. You may have seen him in Mud (also stellar), and Tree of Life (again, stellar). I'm so pleased for David Gordon Green to come back to his Southern American Small Town thing after a strange journey through Franco/Rogen stoner comedies. If you caught Prince Avalanche, Joe capitalizes on the best part of that film here. That being, the one scene with the non-actor woman looking through the charred remains of her home. Joe is full of wonderful casting choices made up of non-actors. I'm so pleased that it seems Green is back where he left off with Undertow, which I though was a phenomenal film. Joe is about the friendship between a 15 yr old boy from an alcoholic/abusive home who works on a tree killing crew for an ex-con with a violent past. Joe's intense and quiet and brooding, and has a punch you in the guts kinda vibe overall. I loved it. 4.5/5
Stay is an Irish-Quebecois/Canadian coproduction starring Aidan Quinn and Taylor Shilling. Stay is directed by Wiebke von Carolsfeld who also directed Marion Bridge, another excellent Canadian film. Stay is about a young woman from Montreal living with a former professor, in the Connemara in Ireland, who finds out she is pregnant. After the father wants nothing to do with it she goes home to Montreal to visit her father. Meanwhile, the day she leaves, the postwoman drops dead of a heart attack on the very day her daughter arrives in the Irish town unexpectedly pregnant and gives birth during her mother's wake. Apparently it was every difficult for Carolsfeld to get this film made, it took many years; her main problems were her lack of box office appeal, the fact that she is a woman, and that she is an English language director in Quebec. Check it out. 3.5/5
Nightingale, whoa. This is one intense film. David Oyelowo is the only person in this movie, and to say that he carries the film exquisitely and expertly is an understatement. This is a film about a war veteran's last days, as he slowly unravels, hiding in his house after murdering his elderly mother. If you're not on the Oyelowo train, get on it. 4/5
Oh man! This is a great film. Love with the Proper Stranger has both Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen. It's about an unexpected pregnancy, that is the result of a fling between a musician and a shopgirl. I am so excited that it's on Netflix. As far as I'm aware this was previously only on VHS. Check it out! 5/5
Middle of Nowhere is about a young nurse who drops out of medical school to stay nearby, while her husband is incarcerated. Then, 4 years into his 8 year sentence she meets a divorced bus driver and falls in love. This was stellar. David Oyelowo is magnetic. Emayatzy Corinealdi is brilliant as the wife, Ruby. This is a film by Ava DuVernay, who directed Selma, and its heavy and serious and sincere with just enough hope and light. Nothing schmaltzy or cheap here. More of this kind of stuff please! 5/5
Cake is about a pill-popping woman with chronic pain, grieving her son, who becomes obsessed with the suicide of a woman in her support group. This is a really bleak film. It's pretty raw. Depressing isn't a bad thing. I think Aniston was pretty good. I like her here and there. She was also good in Friends with Money, Management, and The Good Girl. Adriana Barraza is fabulous as Silvana. Actually, everyone is good in this: Lucy Punch, Felicity Huffman and William H Macy, Chris Messina, Anna Kendrick... 3.5/5
Heartburn is loosely based on Nora Ephron's autobiography of her marriage to journalist Carl Bernstein. This is definitely one of Nichols more understated pieces. It's utterly delightful and funny even when it's breaking your heart. Nicholson singing, Streep watching the TV narrate her life...this is good stuff. Also, there are a few delicious long takes. Nichols staple Meryl Streep is, well, perfect of course. Nicholson is super charismatic and fun. 5/5
Highlander is a 1980s cult classic starring a French actor as a Scot and a Scot as an Egyptian. That is to say that, Sean Connery plays an immortal Egyptian peacock literally wearing peacock feathers, riding a white horse. He kinda looks like Puss in Boots. It's all very goofy. An immortal Scotsman learns that he must eternally battle this punk rock really tall bad guy, for the "prize," because he's a "Highlander" and "there can only be one." This leads to several centuries of sword-fighting and lots of lightning. It has super awesome 1980's Special FXs and is generally rather fun to watch. Also, 1980s NYC with a spectacular finale on the roof of Silvercup Studios... I'll give it 3/5 and leave it to you.
The Thing Called Love It's been ages since I last watched this one. I always enjoyed the music and remember that in the 90s I taped the songs from the TV cause the soundtrack did not feature the actors, as in the movie. Watching it again is strange. Certainly not Bogdo's best work. It holds up pretty well, but it's hard to get past River. He's twitchy and itchy, distracted, and clearly jonesing. It works well enough for the character but, still. It's hard not to feel the weight of his death, it overshadows the whole film. God, he was so young. He's been gone as long as he was here. Dermott Mulroney always pleases me, and it's adorable to see such a young Sandra Bullock. Samantha Mathis is pretty decent, is she still around? Pump Up the Volume is still a favorite... 2/5
Elsa & Fred is a lovely little romantic comedy starring Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer. It's very sweet and I enjoyed it. It's the English remake of an Argentine film. Also, George Segal! 3.5/5
Adam and Paul follows two hapless, desperate junkies as they wander the streets of Dublin jonesing for a fix. Adam and Paul is not a comedy. Nor is this Withnail and I. Adam and Paul is briefly poignant but mostly really bleak. The performances, however, are fantastic. 3/5
Something, Anything is a quiet little film about a woman's quiet little personal journey after she suffers a miscarriage. This film is very tender and gentle, and delicate. It feels like everything could all break apart at any moment yet she smiles her quiet way through her hard times. This film feels extremely fragile. 3.5/5
Wild. What can I say? This was a second viewing and I found it far more rewarding this go around...reading the book helped. I cried...and cried...and I'm crying. Witherspoon is stellar. Laura Dern is perfection. I'm a huge fan of walking movies. I always say, More Walk Less Talk. Vallee delivers. This is a fantastic adaptation but, I encourage you to read the book first. When Cheryl says to her mom that she doesn't get it and Mom answers, "There's nothing I don't get." That gets me. That's me. 4.5/5
I freely admit I went into this one solely by virtue of it having Christian Slater. Ask Me Anything is directed by Allison Burnett, based on his novel Undiscovered Gyrl. What an odd little movie. The poster makes it look like silly coming-of-age romantic comedy. Rather, it is an independent drama about age, sexuality, and consent in the internet age. It's serious, and quite dark. It's also totally uneven. With a strange turn at the end it suddenly becomes a thriller. 2/5
It was a Rosario Dawson double-feature day... The Captive is one of Atom Egoyan's latest films. I adore Scott Speedman and my old pal Ryan Reynolds was pretty darned good too. This was one of the better kidnapping/thrillers I've seen in a while. Perpetual winter. Oh so Canadian and oh so intriguing. This is an all around solid film. 3.5/5
Mad Maxine is essentially one long intense car chase, and it really works. Tom Hardy grunts most of the time and the dialogue is otherwise very economical. It's visually stunning and totally kick ass and definitely passes the Bechdel Test. Fun stuff! 4/5
This was written and directed by the incomparable Chris Rock and stars Rock, along with Rosario Dawson, JB Smoove, and Romany Malco and a ton more. I was so pleased to see Will Sylvince's mug up there, and felt oh so bittersweet seeing Ardie Fuqua and Tracy Morgan. This is a really great film. Do it. 5/5
Seeking a Friend is a cute little romantic drama. I really tend to dislike Keira Knightley. Whatever I dislike, it was offset by how much I love Steve Carell. I especially love non-comedic/serious Carrell. He's all around serious here. This was a fairly predictable movie, though not of the sucking variety. I'd venture to say everyone is better off watching Last Night (Don McKellar, 1998). 3/5
A Long Way Down is a totally uneven film. The cast is solid, but, nothing in this movie works. 4 strangers meet by chance on NYE when all 4 just happen to be on the same roof all ready to commit suicide for various reasons. They vow to stay alive at least until Valentine's Day, they make up a story about being saved by an angel and the press is all over them, so then they become inseparable and even go on vacation somewhere in Spain (...I think). Like I said, nothing here works. Not the narration, not the backstories, not the motivation. Nada. Imogene Poots is pretty to look at. Toni Collette is making the most of what she's working with. Pierce Broson is sleepwalking. Aaron Paul...he should be getting better work. They all should. 1.5/4
Le Week-End is a lovely little film starring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan. Hanif Kurieshi wrote the script, if that means something to you. A couple goes to Paris for their 30th anniversary and do what any person in Paris should be doing, that is walking and talking. Along the way they fight and laugh and eat in cinematic cafes. It's a slice of life, and a rather serious drama--not a comedy, and certainly not a romantic comedy. It's humor is bittersweet and fleeting. Duncan's Meg can be exceptionally cruel at times. Broadbent's is stunning as the doting husband Nick, hopelessly in love with the often ice cold Meg. Oh, and Jeff Goldblum. 4/5
Comedy
Heavens to Betsy, this movie is hysterical. I'm no WOO girl, and never have been, but I did relate very much to the idea of being a total trainwreck... Trainwreck is the latest film from Judd Apatow of Bridesmaids, Knocked Up, and all the rest. The film was written by the very funny comedienne Amy Schumer. 'Tis the year of Schumer. Trainwreck is about a party girl, Amy, who doesn't believe in monogamy and doesn't really take anything in life very seriously...until she meets Bill Hader (playing a fancy sports doctor). It's Bill Hader, so, of course, she falls in love and learns to embrace monogamy...it's Bill Hader. This movie has a stellar cast. Stand up fans will be delighted to play spot the comic throughout. We're talking Colin Quinn (who is EXCELLENT), Dave Attell, Mike Birbiglia, Leslie Jones, Marina Franklin... Sports fans will be likewise delighted to spot LeBron James, and many other famous tall athletes, whom I couldn't identify if I tried. LeBron, by the way, is really really good! It's nice when an athlete can deliver his lines sounding like a real person talking. Good job, LeBron! My only issue with this film is that as a romantic comedy it does fall back on a lot of the old heteronormative 'monogamy is best' tropes. Feminists might take issue with the cheer number at the end, but I liked it and think all movies should have a dance sequence, even when the dance sequence upholds patriarchal standards, essentially recuperating Amy into heteronormative coupling. ... don't over think this... For this reason I can't give it a 5. Honestly, I laughed so hard the whole row was shaking. 4/5
Yes, this is one of my all-time favorite films. First of all, the message of the film is "Be Excellent to Each Other" and subsequently "Party On." I cannot disagree with this. Secondly, I have to admire that the simple fact that all of the historical personages represented speak in their proper languages makes the movie all the more brilliant. Socrates speaks Greek, Freud speaks German and English, Joan of Arc speaks French, and so on... This is a wholly enjoyable time for all ages. I have yet to get sick of this one. I've seen it hundreds of times. Bill and Ted are both exceptionally loveable and while their kinda dummies, there isn't a mean bone in this movie. Also, I love the dialogue. Bill and Ted tend to use big words in deliciously correct ways. This is a very fun, funny, warm, and kind-hearted film. 5/5.
True Stories is a musical comedy written and directed by Talking Head's David Byrne. An unnamed visitor (played by Byrne) visits small-town Virgil Texas for its sesquicentennial celebration. Along the way he meets the towns' colorful characters, he visits Virgil's brand new shopping mall, attends a surreal fashion show, and finally a big talent show. This film has great music, sung by the actors, including numbers by Pop Staples and John Goodman. Lastly, this is a truly quirky and strange, 100% enjoyable film. Here's a piece of trivia: there are over 50 pairs of twins in the film! 5/5
When I first saw HIghway 61 (at 13) my brain imploded. I had no idea movies could be like this. First of all, Highway 61 was the first Canadian film that I ever saw that was genuinely good while also being distinctly Canadian.* This was my first encounter with a English Canadian film that was so truly excellent. It looked good, it sounded good, and it was funny and original. Highway 61 is a road movie (so many of my favorite films are road movies). When small-town barber, Pokey Jones, finds a dead body in his backyard rock'n'roll roadie Jackie Bangs claims it's her younger brother, whom she needs to transport to New Orleans. When Pokey agrees to drive Jackie and the body all the way down Highway 61 from Thunder Bay to the Big Easy, what he doesn't know if that Jackie is actually transporting a large amount of drugs in the body. Oh, and there one other small catch. The Devil is on their tail and wants the body! Watch for Jello Biafra as the border guard. Highway 61 is the second of Bruce McDonald's Rock and Roll Road Movies, following Roadkill and preceding Hard Core Logo (all highly recommended and rated 5/5). 5/5 *Don't get me wrong, there are some GREAT Canadian films, but if you know Canadian cinema you know that particularly English Canadian movies typically cast one or two B list Americans cast in the lead roles, not Canadians.
It's impossible to say how many times I have seen Harold and Maude. When I worked at a video store I often put it on repeat during 8 hour shifts. It's my all time favorite and I have to admit that there's nothing that notable about the aesthetic of the filmmaking. For me, this is all heart and soul. My love goes back much further than the video store. It was a favorite as a kid, albeit hard to come by. This is the story of a May-September type, unusual relationship between morbid and depressed young Harold and the much much older fun-loving, eccentric Maude. This movie is super quirky and all around delightful. 5/5
Hits is an indie black comedy about a small town in upstate New York full of a bunch of weirdos. This film is hard to describe and if I can tell you anything, it's that it was directed by David Cross. Totally weird in all the right ways. 4/5
What can I say? On occasion I find myself stuck sitting stationary in a flying metal tube in the sky and I end up watching anything I haven't already seen. I also freely admit that I do enjoy a stupid Hollywood comedy. This is your typical male wedding anxiety comedy based on the principal that it's better to lie to your fiancee than risk her being angry with you. So, dude lies to girl. Elaborate hijinks ensue. Twist ending. 2/5 ..maybe watch 22 Jump Street again instead...
Spy is a good time. Melissa McCarthy is brilliant. Statham pulls out his best action movie persona and gets ridiculously silly. Not only is the main character a woman, the "bad guy" is a woman, and the side kick is a woman. A trifecta of lady awesomeness! Oh yeah, and Bobby Canavale is always great. Here he's as greasy as ever. Paul Feig FTW! 3.5/5
This is a German coming-of-age comedy about a teenage girl obsessed with poor hygiene. This movie is not for the faint of heart. In many ways, Wetlands verges on horror. Particularly with its central preoccupation with the monstrous, becoming, adolescent female body. I could write a whole paper about the movie in terms of the monstrous feminine and the grotesque.. This movie obliterates any traces of the romanticized adolescent female body and forces you to confront her becoming body in all it's leaky glory. I loved this movie, and while it wasn't quite as gross as I was expecting, it was effectively shocking. I had to look away many times...I'm squeamish. Yes, it was gross. Yes, some parts were downright foul. At times, it was nasty, nasty, nasty... This is an entirely different kind of gross-out comedy than anything Hollywood could ever come up with... This is 100% R-rated and NSFW. Scandalous! 4/5
High Fidelity is about a 30-something record store owner who compulsively makes lists and obsessively goes over his top five break ups, while going through a wee bit of an existential crisis. This film captures the last dregs of 1990s zeitgeist tainted with Gen X malaise while paying homage to the now dead record store. This film holds up. John Cusack is still young, witty, and wry. Jack Black is great here. Lili Taylor (my favorite!) makes a brief appearance as Break Up #4Sarah. Excellent soundtrack. And, sorry to say but just so much better than Empire Records. Kudos to movies where the characters break the 4th wall and address the audience! 4/5
The Duff is a perfectly adequate teen comedy. It's your standard "ugly" girl likes guy so tries to be cooler and prettier than she is... I give it props for trying to uproot some old tropes, like the make over montage. 3/5
Noah Baumbach's got some of his bite back! This Gerwig-free film is not quite as acerbic as Greenwood or Margot at the Wedding, but it definitely adds back in some of that good ol' pessimism I've been missing in Baumbach's newer work. Enough with the whimsy, here Baumbach delivers a cynical retort to flakey psuedo-boho hipsters a la Frances Ha. Stiller treads the mid-life crisis waters as an aimless documentarian who befriends a wannabe filmmaker played by the brilliant Adam Driver. I laughed. I face palmed. I shook my head. I approved. Adam Driver.... 4/5
Hollywood Shuffle (1987) a satirical comedy about racial stereotypes in popular culture. The film follows a young actor, Bobby Taylor (Robert Townsend), trying to make it in Hollywood. Bobby is faced with some difficult decisions when he's offered the role of "Jivetime Jimmy" a "jivetalkin' pimp." Misrepresentation is explored through Bobby's many goofy fantasies including a film noir parody and a Siskel and Ebert style movie reviews show. While dated, this film ultimately holds up. Smatterings of early Wayans here and there. This is straight up silliness, Pooty Tang/UHF style. Make sure to catch the rap number at the end. 4/5
Gloria is a Chilean film about an older divorcee who has a brief but complicated relationship with a former Naval officer. Aesthetically, this film has a lot of close ups and as such feels constricted and maybe even a bit claustrophobic. There are moments of space also, but the shifts are far more subtle than say, Xavier Dolan's stellar Mommy (2014). I loved this movie. It's a pretty quiet little film, and I like that. 5/5
What can I say about Frank? Frank is one of the best things I've seen lately. I just watched it again for the 3rd time. It's utterly charming, fun, and brilliant. Frank is a film written by British author (and occasional TAL contributor) Jon Ronson, loosely based on his article on the Frank Sidebottom character--but is not about Frank Sidebottom. Awesome music. Michael Fassbender. 5/5
Party Girl is a bonafide cult classic. It's a wickedly silly, funny comedy starring Parker Posey. Downtown, Chinatown, fashionista, party girl, Mary, needs a job to pay back a loan for bail, so her aunt hires her as a library technician at the Seward Park branch (NYPL). Here's an interesting fact: On June 3, 1995 POPCO presented Party Girl (introduced by Posey) as the first ever feature film broadcast on the Internet! Not sure how it looked or how such early Internet could have the capacity to do this, but pretty cool! Right?! 3/5
I don't think I need to tell anyone that Spinal Tap takes things up to 11. I showed this one to Harper the other day. She thought the songs were the funniest part. If you don't know about Spinal Tap, this is a terrific, improvised, comedic mock-rockumentary about an aging old school metal band trying to stay relevant. 5/5
What We Do in the Shadows is a very funny mockumentary about 3 centuries-old vampires who share a flat in modern Wellington, NZ. I laughed aloud several time, all alone. If you like Rhys Darby and Jemaine Clement, this is for you. 4/5
Dear White People is an American satire about race at a prestigious, rather white, university. Sam is an whip-smart, aspiring filmmaker, undergrad with a sharp-tongued campus radio program "Dear White People." When the only black house on campus is in threat of being "randomized" (read: disbanded), Sam is elected head of house and racial tensions heat up. I quite enjoyed this film. It's very topical. Very relevant. 4/5
Welcome to Me. Hmmmmm. I really wanted to like this film, and films about mental illness/health always pique my interest, but this was way off the mark. I am not a fan of "cringe comedy." Not at all. This reminded me of Network by way of it being very much about allowing and facilitating someone completely unstable making a public spectacle of themselves. I'd rather watch Network again. This fell flat. Then, there's the issue regarding the representation of psychological wellness. If a film diagnoses the character it should to show at least some accurate symptoms/characteristics. On one hand, if a film remains vague then the audience might spend a lot of time trying to diagnose the character. On the other hand, refusing a diagnosis allows for the more accurate representation of mental health. All diagnosis are individual and respond differently. This can be freeing for a film and really work. In the best circumstances the diagnosis is shown in a truthful manner and is respectful. If mental illness is the reason for extreme behavior, tread carefully. If it's a joke, don't be mean. 2/5
I wanted Fading Gigolo to be much better than it was. I love Turturro, and hoped this would be more nuanced than it was. The female roles were atrocious. It was also hard to overlook how Allen's character was around a lot of children... Woody Allen plays the usual nebbish New York jew who goes pimp and turns out his best friend in this uneven and problematic "buddy/romantic comedy." 1/5 and a big "meh".
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear is a totally enjoyable, goofy made for TV movie--the first of three. Noah Wyle stars as a 30-something "professional" student, with several degrees, living at home with his mom who gets a job as The Librarian at the world's most top secret location Metropolitan Public Library's secret collection. He's kinda the librarian version of Indiana Jones and is responsible for preserving, and saving many of the world's most precious items, think: The Spear of Destiny, Pandora's Box, The Crystal Skull... It also features Olympia Dukakis, Bob Newhart, and Jane Curtain. I liked it. 3/5 - for the entire trilogy
Roadie (1980) is a super enjoyable, laugh out loud, silly rock'n'roll road movie. Rock and road movies are some of my favorite films. This is an early Alan Rudolph comedy starring a baby Meatloaf. Meatloaf is Travis Redfish a Texan-truck driver who becomes the best roadie ever, because he can fix anything. He even helps generate power for a Blondie show by burning cow pies and building a wind turbine! Along the way Travis helps take wannabe groupie Lola to meet Alice Cooper at Madison Square Garden. Cameos include Roy Orbison and Hank Williams Jr. Alice Cooper is excellent as himself. 5/5
Working Girl is certainly one of Nichols' better known comedies. Here Melanie Griffith steals the show as a secretary who's finds out her temporarily laid up boss has stolen her idea. So, she takes things into her own hands. Everyone in this movie is fabulous. 5/5
The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a wholly adequate film adaptation of the novel by Milan Kundera. As with many adaptations, there were things left out. Here, primarily Franz's storyline, and Tereza's more bizarre dreams. That said, it was charming and lighter than the book while also being clearer on the political climate during and after the Prague Spring. Read the book first. 3/5
Somehow I ended up accidentally having a Liev Schreiber double-feature. First he was a hasid running the local shomrim, now an Aussie shark hunter. It was not a terrible double-feature. I quite like Liev, always have. PJ Hogan is by no-means an excellent director but I've always had a soft-spot for Muriel's Wedding. This is probably his best film since Muriel. Both films delightfully dabble in the grotesque while remaining touchingly goofy. Also, Toni Collette can do no wrong. She's a fury here in the charmingly off-the-hinges dysfunctional family farce. Anthony Lapaglia is always excellent. I'm pleased to see him cast as an Aussie for a change...because he IS Aussie. Kerry Fox, whom I've always loved, was 100% unrecognizable as the OCD neighbour, Nancy. Unrecognizable. Full stop. Finally, the children are all good actors. Watch out for Lilly Sullivan, she's very good. This film in literally in hysterics. There's a lot of screaming and unruly bodies. It's not a clean little comedy, it's messy and loud. I liked it. Others would argue it's awful. It bombed in theaters. Lastly, it passes the Bechdel Test before the opening credits ended. 3/5
Preston Sturges 1941 masterful satirical comedy Sullivan's Travels is absolutely stellar, and still very relevant. A successful Hollywood director decides to go out in the world dressed as a Hobo in order to find "trouble." He seeks to learn about the authentic first-hand struggles of the American people, in order to make a "serious" picture about poverty. When he finds actual trouble he discovers that comedy is the common denominator that unites people. 5/5
Documentaries
The Wolfpack is a hands down, no-doubt about it, must see movie. Do it now. Wow. Locked away for 14 years, on the 16th floor of a Lower East Side housing project, 7 boys, their sister, mother and father live as their own tribe. With virtually no contact with the outside world except for being allowed to watch movies all day every day, the boys painstakingly transcribe every word, build elaborate sets, costumes, and props, and recreate their favorite movies to pass the time in their apartment. When one son decides to go for a walk around the neighborhood the dynamic begins to shift and slowly the family begins to leave the apartment and experience many firsts; going to the movies, eating in a restaurant, going to the beach, and so on. This is an American documentary that follows this family over 5 years as they expand their boundaries and slowly experience the outside world. This is riveting, exhilarating, incredible, fun, and ultimately very moving. I don't think there has been such a charming, honest, and bizarre view of family dysfunction since Grey Gardens. Oh, and these boys. Wow. I connected with this film not only as an unbridled cinephile, but also in the way the boys learn about the world through movies, in turn viewing thousands of movies partly due to unorthodox circumstances that resulted in staying home all day an awful lot as a kid. Wow. Wow. Wow. 5/5
The Search for General Tso is a plucky, lighthearted, fun documentary about the origins of General Tso's Chicken--a Chinese dish that is almost as American as apple pie. General Tso's Chicken is sweet and slightly spicy and garlicky dish made of fried chicken nuggets tossed in a red sticky sauce. It's ubiquitous on North American Chinese food menus. This is a fascinating look at the history of the dish, the role of the Chinese restaurant in the US, and who General Tso was. Ian Cheney is a great documentary filmmaker. I highly recommend his film about night called City Dark. 4/5
Tig is a new documentary on Netflix about comedian Tig Notaro. The documentary focuses on Tig career boost following a legendary set about being diagnosed with cancer, at Largo in LA, that unexpectedly went viral over night thanks to a tweet from Louis CK. (The set is fantastic and you can hear it as an album called "Live") This is an intimate film that touches on the sudden loss of her mother, her battle with cancer and double mastectomy, her work as a comic coming back from such a huge personal adversities, her blossoming love with her partner Stephanie, and their journey to become a parents. 4/5
Like any good Canadian, I have to recommend this amazing documentary about Hockey. As a good cinephile, I have to recommend this Gabe Polsky directed/ Werner Herzog produced Hockey Doc. This is a very entertaining, lighthearted documentary about the former USSR's Red Army Hockey Club. The film primarily focuses on the fascinating story of Slavov Fetislov, the first Russian to be granted a multi-job working Visa to be allowed to leave the USSR, move to the US, and play for the NHL. Whether you like Hockey or not, Fetislov is a hilarious guy, and he's highly entertaining. 5/5
Amy is a new documentary about the late, great singer Amy Winehouse. This doc is comprised wholly of found footage, that is often set to off-screen interviews about Amy. There are no talking heads or experts in this film. These are the voices of Amy's friends, family including her father Mitch Winehouse, her ex-husband, and her a few colleagues including her former manager Nick Shymansky and producer Salaam Remi. The film focuses on Amy's rise to stardom, her short but impressive career, and her tumultuous personal life during those years. As such, it was a concise (at 2 hours and 8 minutes) portrait of the road to fame its subsequent path of destruction. It's about addiction, self-destruction, eating disorders, fame, talent, heart, and love. Along the way there are several impressive performances, though the documentary is not overly pre-occupied with performance footage. Amy is gut wrenching. I cried. 4/5
I'm a fan of the Amazing Randi so I was pleased to stumble on this one. If you don't know Randi, he's a sucessful magician who had a second career debunking phoney psychics and other charlatans, after retiring from magic. Randi is a charismatic and very compelling character. This documentary traces his long career and his personal life that includes touching on his coming out at age 84 and marrying his partner just recently in Washington DC. The film focuses on Randi's feuds with the spoon bender Uri Geller and the TV evangelist Peter Popoff. Both feuds resulted in humiliation and public debunking but Popoff and Geller somehow still have careers pedalling their snake oil. The film also pokes holes in the concept of the "real" and even turns the lens on itself as a documentary--that is, with a bias and constructed. This is a fascinating, chock-full of fun, fun, schadenfreude-soaked, totally enjoyable doc. I highly recommend An Honest Liar. 5/5 For fun, look up Seth Raphael wins Randi's $1million challenge at MIT.
Well now, this is something! This is a documentary about Alejandro Jodorowsky's attempt to adapt the Frank Hebert book Dune into a film, in the 1970s. The film has never been made, but nonetheless maintains legendary status in Hollywood and the World of Cinema. Jodorowsky envisioned an epic masterpiece that would star David Carradine, Mick Jagger, Salvador Dali, and Orson Welles, and count HR Giger and Jean Giraud amongst its impressive creative team. One can't help to get swept up in Jodorowsky's passion. This is a hugely enjoyable especially for cinephiles, fans of Lynch's Dune, or the book. 5/5
We Always Lie to Strangers is a fantastic documentary about 4 families involved in the musical theater/family entertainment business in Branson Missouri. Branson is a curiosity and a strange sub-culture. Must see for performing arts geeks! 4/5
If you're a fan of music documentaries I have to highly recommend Who Is Harry Nilsson (And why is everybody talkin' about him)? If you don't know the enigmatic Harry Nilsson, you actually probably do and just didn't know it. Just do it. 5/
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck? Heck, Yes. This is an astonishingly fresh, authorized, music bio documentary about Kurt Cobain. The film is largely structured around Kurt's personal collection of films and videos, including a lot of home videos, and audio tapes, along with press clips, videos, and behind the scenes footage (and Morgen is barely scratching the surface in terms of material Kurt left behind). There are a few interviews sprinkled in, but it's by no means a talking heads doc. Morgen expertly animates snippets of previously unheard audio and notebooks. 5/5
Open Access and Freedom of Information for Everyone! Citizen Four is a documentary film about Edward Snowden and follows filmmaker Laura Poitras from first receiving encrypted emails, to meeting and working with Edward Snowden, to help reveal information about illegal NSA wiretapping. 4/5
The Final Member is a documentary about the Icelandic Phallological Museum. The long and short of it is that there is ONE museum in the world devoted to collecting, well, penises and it's in Iceland... This film begins in earnest and quickly devolves into absurdity as it follows the museum curator's quest for a human specimen and the two human males who want to make the donation. 4/5
To Be Takei is a documentary about Star Trek's George Takei (Mr. Sulu), and his post-Trek life. Takei is an outspoken GLBT advocate, an educator about Japanese internment, and a decorated human rights activist who has made huge contributions towards Japanese-American relations. This is a lighthearted documentary that doesn't avoid making fun of Shatner. Also, Takei's husband Brad is delightful! 4/5
And the Oscar Goes to is a TCM produced documentary that essentially plays out as a compilation reel of people winning Oscars with interviews sprinkled throughout. It's very touching. Or, sappy depending on how you feel about the awards. I basically cried for the entire 90 minutes. I don't care, I love the Oscars. 3/5
Keep on Keepin' On makes a wonderful book end to Whiplash, its polar opposite. This is a wonderful documentary about the legendary trumpeter Clarke Terry and his protégée, the 23-year-old blind pianist Justin Kauflin. Clarke Terry has had a fascinating life. He broke color barriers by performing as staff musician on the Tonight Show, and he was a mentor to Quincy Jones. Justin Kauflin is a remarkable player with struggling debilitating stage fright, bolstered by Terry to always do his best and to always, keep on keepin' on. This remarkable film chronicles their incredible friendship. 5/5
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon is a truly entertaining, unbelievable true story of Shep Gordon who is one of the most successful showbiz managers ever. Shep Gordon made Alice Cooper, Alice Cooper. This is a star studded documentary full of ribald and otherwise bodacious tales of Hollywood, American pop culture, music, and stardom. 5/5
Women Aren't Funny is a feature length documentary by comedian Bonnie McFarlane. The film tackles the age old question: Are women funny? I enjoyed this documentary and was thoroughly impressed by the comedians interviewed. There was everyone from Joan Rivers to Jim Breuer! Also of note, Bonnie hails from Cold Lake, Alberta! 3.5/5
Showrunners: The art of running a TV show is a very interesting documentary about some of the more successful showrunners working in contemporary television, including Joss Whedon, JJ Abrams, and Damon Lindelof. Running a TV show is a lot of work. It makes me ponder how much time, money, and effort is needed to create successful television. In the end I wondered why we don't spend this kind of money, time, and effort into real world issues. Then, I remember how much I love film and television. Opiate of the masses, indeed. 3.5/5
Harmontown is a documentary about Community's Dan Harmon, post-Community/NBC firing, when he took his podcast Harmontown on the road. This is largely an exercise in hubris; a meditation on the unbridled, often caustic, and always drunken shenanigans of Harmon. (As meaningless as that semi-colon I threw in after "hubris.") Certainly Harmon is wickedly smart, and he's meta enough to expertly play with the tropes of the tortured alcoholic genius figure here. Still, this all left me a bit cold. Even Bukowski leaves me a little cold... Being a mean drunk to people sucks. That's not troubled genius, it's just being a dick. The soul of the film is DnD master Spencer. All Hail, Spencer. 3/5
Rich Hill is an American documentary about daily life in Rich Hill Missouri, through the eyes of three teenage boys. It's a beautiful and stirring portrait of impoverished small town America. 5/5
That's Not Funny is a pretty solid documentary essay film that explores contemporary Western comedy in relation to the taboo. While I enjoyed this comprehensive seminar on what is considered offensive comedy in popular culture, from Hitler to rape jokes, regular narration would have sufficed. Having this guy deliver looking straight into the camera undermined the film, and was really awkward. 3/5
Dawg Fight is a low budget documentary about bare knuckle illegal backyard boxing in Miami-Dade Florida. It's utterly brutal, but is very much about the endless cycle poverty and violence in the USA. 3/5
Beyond Clueless is a documentary about the representation of American teenagers and tropes of teen movies (specifically of the 1990s). This is an essay film narrated by Fairuza Balk and comprised of myriad clips from over 200 movies. This was ultimately like a mediocre lecture on 1990s American teen movies punctuated with very long and titilating montages of teens making out in swimming pools. 2/5 (for nostalgia only)