"Top Ten Films of 2013"

My "Top Ten Films of 2013"

"Top Ten Films of 2013"

Published on Dec. 26, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

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1).  ”12 Years a Slave”  (2013)

Based on a true story, this film is about Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free Black man living in upstate New York with his wife and child in the year 1841.  On a business trip, he is kidnapped and sold into slavery.  His life is filled with misery and hard work as he is shipped from plantation to plantation in Louisiana at the mercy and whim of the plantation owners.  This incredibly moving film has some of the year’s best performances in it.  Ejiofor is stunning in a role of a lifetime, but it’s the supporting cast that makes this such an outstanding film.  Lupita Nyong’o is astonishing as the defiant slave Patsey and Michael Fassbender gives a spellbinding performance as a sadistic slave owner.  This is a film that is going to stay with me for a long time. 12 Years a Slave Website 

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

2).  ”Nebraska”  (2013)

Woody (Bruce Dern) is convinced that he has won a million dollars and wants to travel from Montana, where he lives, to Nebraska to collect the winnings. Against the wishes of Woody’s wife, Kate (June Squibb), and brother, Ross (Bob Odenkirk). David (Will Forte), Woody’s youngest son, decides to take his father cross-country to the company that has issued the ticket. Bruce Dern gives a brilliant, understated performance.  The surprise of the film is what a great job Will Forte does as the son who desperately wants to reconnect with his father.  This is road trip film where the people in the movie don’t seem to ever move. Nebraska Website           (Read my full review here)

Photo courtesy of Cinedigm

3).  ”Short Term 12″  (2013)

Grace (Brie Larson) works as a supervisor at a foster-care facility for at-risk teenagers.  Her boyfriend, Mason (John Gallagher Jr.), works with her at the home.  Grace’s world is changed when Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a troubled teenage girl  enters the facility and Grace sees herself in Jayden.  Brie Larson gives my favorite performance of this year.  She has a nice, comfortable chemistry with John Gallagher Jr., making us feel that this couple has been together for quite awhile.  The film has a great message about finding family anywhere you can. Short Term 12 Website     (Read my full review here)

Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers

4). “Her” (2013)

A writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who is still mourning the breakup of his marriage, installs a new operating system on his computer that is designed to learn about him and respond to his needs.  Very soon he finds that he has fallen in love with his computer. The premise is based on if a man can fall in love with his operating system, in this case played in voice only by Scarlett Johansson.  I say yes because I also fell in love with Johansson’s character.  This is a wonderful, unconventional film about falling love. Her Website

Photo courtesy of A24

5).  ”The Spectacular Now”  (2013)

Sutter (Miles Teller) is a high school senior who is just happy living in the present. He seems to have everything you would want – he’s popular, has a good job and his girlfriend is the prettiest girl in high school. Suddenly, everything comes crashing down around Sutter when his girlfriend dumps him and leaves his once promising world now in tatters. Sutter then meets Aimee (Shailene Woodley) who isn’t like anyone he has ever met before and just might be the person to get him back on track.  I felt that the dialogue in this film was incredibly realistic and the chemistry between Teller and Woodley was perfect. The Spectacular Now Website        (Read my full review here)

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

6).  ”Captain Philips”  (2013)

Based on a true story, the American ship, Maersk Alabama, captained by Richard Philips (Tom Hanks), becomes the first U.S. ship in two hundred years to be hijacked by pirates.  The Somali pirates want millions of dollars to return the ship and its crew.  Can Capt. Philips and his crew stall long enough for help to arrive?  Hanks is perfect in the role, but it’s Barkhad Dbdi, who plays one of the pirates that makes this movie work so well as he gives an amazing performance.  I absolutely loved the final scene in this film as it takes it from a good film to a great one. Captain Phillips Website

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

7).  ”The Way Way Back” (2013)

Duncan (Liam James) is not having the best of summers. Instead of spending his summer vacation with his father in California, he is forced to spend it with his mom (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend (Steve Carell) at his summer beach house. When Duncan discovers a water park called Water Wizz, that’s where his summer finally starts to get a little better, as he meets Owen (Sam Rockwell) the manager.  I loved the interaction between James and Rockwell.  This is a fun, funny film that has a heart as big as the monster slide in the park. The Way Way Back Facebook Page       (Read my full review here)

Photo courtesy of CBS Films

8).  ”The Kings of Summer”  (2013)

Three teenage boys (Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias) decide to get away from their rather strange and controlling parents by running away to build a house in the middle of the woods.  While viewers will see this film for the supporting cast, which is full of great comedians like Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, it’s the three lead boys (Robinson, Basso and Arias) that make this film so exceptional and a joy to watch.  Nick Robinson, playing the leader of the gang, Joe, is absolutely perfect in the role of a kid who is so tired of his life that he just wants to run away.  The film is a wonderful coming of age film where the boys find out that running away doesn’t always solve life’s problems. The Kings of Summer Website

Photo Courtesy of Warner Brothers

9). “Gravity”  (2013)

A medical engineer, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), and a veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), are on a space mission. During a spacewalk, satellite debris crashes into the Space Shuttle and sends Dr. Stone adrift into space with limited oxygen.  This was the most beautiful film I saw this year. and I hope everyone went to the theatre to see it on the big screen.  This is a film that couldn’t have been made 20 years ago and I give credit to director / co-writer Alfonso Cuaron on bringing us an astonishing movie-going experience. Gravity Website

Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company

10).  ”Fruitvale Station”  (2013)

This is the true story of the last day in the life of Oscar (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year old man who was killed by transit cops in the Bay area of California one New Year’s morning. This film will make you angry and sad at the same time and is sure to start conversations up as soon as the film ends.  I loved Jordan’s performance as the flawed but likeable Oscar.  This is a film that you know how it’s going to end but hope someway that it won’t. Fruitvale Station Website        (Read my full review here)

Almost on the list:  ”Drinking Buddies”, “The Conjuring”, “Enough Said”, “The Stories We Tell”, “20 Feet From Stardom”, “Cutie and the Boxer”, “Upstream Color”, “All is Lost”, “Inside Llewyn Davis”, “Frozen”, “The World’s End”, “A Band Called Death”, “Dallas Buyers Club”,”Mud”, “The Heat”.

"Inside Llewyn Davis" Movie Review

My review of "Inside Llewlyn Davis" starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman.

"Inside Llewyn Davis"

Published on Dec. 20, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

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Photo courtesy of CBS Films

"Inside Llewyn Davis"  (2013)

Llewyn Davis (Oscar Issac) is a struggling folk musician, who, after his musical partner dies, attempts to make it as a solo act by playing at clubs around the Greenwich Village area in the 1961.  Llewyn doesn’t do too well and has to sleep on the couches of his friends and family. It seems that Llewyn while a talented artist, is his own worst enemy as he continually burns the bridges with the people who love and admire him the most. Llewyn finally realizes that he must deal with the fact that his dream of being a musician may just not be in his reach.

For the audience who didn’t grow up in the time period, the film does a great job of creating the atmosphere and feel of the folk scene in early 1960′s New York. The cinematographer, Bruno Delbonnel, perfectly captures the feel of the city at the time.  His use of soft focus and muted lighting makes the city appear in a perpetual grey tint as Llewyn searches continually for his next gig and next couch to sleep on.  I love the look of this film. You can instantly tell how affluent each person is just by seeing the hallways to their apartment.  The folk singers live in buildings with tiny hallways and doors that seem to be set at impossible angles.  When Llewyn visits a couple that helps out struggling artists, their hallway is wide, as is their door.

As with any Coen film, there is a lot of humor in the film, brought mostly through the situations that Llewyn gets himself into, including a number of scenes with a cat that he gets stuck with and has to take on his travels.

Issac gives an outstanding performance of a handsome guy who has a great many demons inside him, making him, at the same time, sympathetic and unlikeable.  Llewyn is a difficult person to get along with.  He is cantankerous, quick to make snap judgments and seems to care more about the cat that he has mistakenly acquired than the people who make up his life.  Llewyn is the type of person that has talent but doesn’t have a real plan for success, so he tends to just wander from gig to gig without any direction.

Supporting characters are always important in Coen brothers films, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Carey Mulligan plays a fellow folk singer whose contempt for Llewyn is shown just by the deadly glances she gives him each time they meet.  John Goodman, of course, makes an appearance as an over-the-hill jazz musician, and F. Murray Abraham plays a club owner who can make or break Llewyn’s career.  Justin Timberlake plays the almost “anti-Llewyn,” a happy folk singer who writes catchy pop songs, the kind that Llewyn feels are beneath his standards.

The music in this film is outstanding, most of which was recorded on set as the cameras were rolling, including the Justin Timberlake song “Mr. Kennedy,” which makes for an incredibly funny recording session. Issac has a fine singing voice, which brings back memories of very early Bruce Springsteen.  He has one of those voices that really make you listen carefully to the song, making every word he sings important.  There are a wide variety folk music styles and a great deal of them are on display in this film.  Several of the songs are just breathtaking, including “Five Hundred Miles” that Timberlake and Mulligan sing on, and Isaac singing the ballad “The Death Of Queen Jane” is just magical.

The film isn’t as humorous as other Coen films such as “Pulp Fiction” or “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and some film-goers may not like this film due to such an unlikable main character.  That being said,  “Inside Llewyn Davis” is sure to please the Coen brothers’ fans, and lovers of folk music as it the film gives us an inside view of the music scene that was to shape a generation.

My Rating:  Full Price

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Inside Llewyn Davis” Website

The film is playing in Atlanta at Lefont Sandy Springs and Landmark Midtown Art Cinema .
Please note that the reviewer is an employee of CBS Broadcasting, Inc and the film is being distributed by CBS Films, which is owned by CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

"The Armstrong Lie" Movie Review

My review of the documentary "The Armstong Lie"

"The Armstrong Lie"

Published on Dec. 13, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

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Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

"The Armstrong Lie"   (2013)

Lance Armstrong retired after winning his 7th Tour de France, the world’s most grueling sporting event. Riding the tour is a test of both the physical and the mental side of man’s ability to overcome pain to complete a sporting event. Armstrong seemed to be a man that could not be broken and was determined to leave everyone behind, choking on his dust. While there had always been allegations following Armstrong around that he used Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s), he had never tested positive and vigorously denied ever using them.

In 2009, Armstrong decided to mount a comeback, to prove he was the best and that he was clean. Filmmaker Alex Gibney was given unprecedented access to film this comeback that ultimately ended with Armstrong not winning his 8th Tour but coming in third.

In this fascinating documentary about the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong, we see that the comeback was Armstrong’s biggest mistake. By coming back, he reopened many doors that had been left closed, and many of his former teammates, who had been silent up to then, decided to take down Armstrong. What Gibney does a great job establishing is the background of Armstrong. We see how he was raised by a single mom, his love of endurance sports such as the triathlons and his first introduction to riding the one of the world’s most popular sporting events.

What makes this film unique is that for the first time, Armstrong is answering questions that he has always denied or has spun around to his own defense. He is confronted by Gibney, who knows Armstrong well and unlike Oprah, able to get him to answer the tough questions. Is as if Gibney has finally broken down the wall that Armstrong had carefully put up between himself and the press.

This film is intriguing because it was meant to be just about Armstrong’s comeback bid, but as the firestorm grew every day around his possible use of PED’s, Gibney decided to make a totally different film. Gibney interviews a host of riders, a great many that were on Armstrong’s winning Tour de France teams, making a case against Armstrong, voice by voice. The film goes beyond that comeback Tour and delves deeply into Armstrong’s races, making us feel as if we were there along for the ride. The filmmaker does a great job of giving us a background to the sport and why the Tour de France is so important to Europeans. We are there when Armstrong is training, as well as the candid moments during the 2009 race itself, showing Armstrong with his family, all the while medical teams continually test his blood for PED’s.

Gibney paints a picture of a man so driven that he wouldn’t think twice to try to destroy anyone that tried to bring him down. A man that overcame cancer and made an incredible amount of money in a sport that few Americans ever participate in, much less watch.  He was a man sure of himself that he says in the film “I certainly thought I would never get caught.” Ultimately, it was Armstrong himself that brought down his empire, and Gibney brings this to the screen for us to see.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“The Armstrong Lie” is currently playing at UA Tara Cinemas 4

"Nebraska" Movie Review

My review of "Nebraska" starring Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb.

"Nebraska"

Published on Nov. 27, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

"Nebraska"  (2013)

The first time we meet Woody (Bruce Dern) he is walking by the side of a Montana highway in what appears to be very cold weather.  He has both a determined gait and look to him but is stopped by a police officer on a highway overpass.  We next meet David (Will Forte) who arrives at the police station to pick his father up.  We learn that Woody is in possession of a letter that says he may have won a million dollars.  Woody is convinced that he has won and is dead set on going to Nebraska to collect his winnings.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Woody’s wife, Kate (June Squibb) is being driven crazy by Woody’s determined antics and his other son, Ross (Bob Odenkrik), has gone as far as to take key parts from Woody’s truck so that the old man won’t drive his way to Nebraska.  David is in a dead end job as a home electronics salesman, has broken up with his longtime girlfriend, who tells him to make up his mind about anything, and has to keep leaving his job to go look for his wandering father.  After another attempt by Woody at walking to Nebraska, David decides that he will drive his father to claim what he knows will not be a million dollars.

So starts a very funny, touching road trip movie from director Alexander Payne.  Payne, who brought us last year’s “The Descendants”, as well as “Sideways” in 2004, “About Schmidt” (2002) and “Election” (1999).  Payne has a nice comedic touch to make something out almost nothing and scene after scene in this film demonstrates that talent.  The film is shot in black and white, by the director of photography Phedon Papamichael, which perfectly suits the landscape and the people who inhabit it.  The camera seems to be centered for each shot, rarely moving, much like the people in the film.  This is a film about taking a trip but the characters don’t seem to be going very far.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Bruce Dern gives a performance of a lifetime as the moody, alcoholic Woody.  Dern never lets us really see what Woody is thinking, using mostly grunts and one word sentences to make his point. At times, it seems as though dementia has a hold of Woody but then there are a few places in the film, where we see that there is more to Woody than meets the eye and that credit goes to Dern’s performance of the man.

Will Forte does an excellent job as David, a man who is trying as hard as he can to reconnect to his father.  It is very evident in the early parts of the film that Woody and David’s relationship is strained, but he is willing to go on the road trip in an effort to understand who his father is as a person.  Forte almost has to be the straight man in the film, reacting to David’s parents antics.

The standout supporting cast is incredible in this film.  June Squibb is marvelous as the opinionated wife of Woody.  She gets the best lines of the film as Kate tends to speak very frankly about anything and anyone.  Squibb milks the part for everything it’s got, and though she doesn’t have as many scenes as Dern, her performance is equally compelling and just as memorable.  Other cast members, such as Stacy Keach, who plays a blustery rival of Woody’s and Bob Odenkrik, who plays the more successful brother of David, are perfect in their roles.  Most of the supporting cast, including Rance Howard, who plays Woody’s brother, look as if they live and work on the farm, that’s how comfortable they look and feel in this film.

This is a film about family in the heartland of America and adult children who try to understand better who their parents are.  It’s a wonderful film that while touching and sometimes a little sad, ultimately is moving and at times quite funny.  In other words, another brilliant film from Alexander Payne and my favorite film from this year’s Austin Film Festival.

“Nebraska” opens today in Atlanta at the UA Tara Cinemas 4

"Kill Your Darlings" Movie Review

My review of "Kill Your Darlings" starring Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Michael C. Hall.

"Kill Your Darlings"

Posted on Nov. 22, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

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Sony Pictures Classics

“Kill Your Darlings” (2013)

Recently, a slew of films have been exploring the Beat Generation, and it’s driving force it’s writers. Last year was “On The Road” (2012) which was based on the legendary Jack Kerouac book. This year at the Austin Film Festival I saw “Big Sur” (2013), which is about Jack Kerouac, played by Jean-Marc Barr, in his later life, 15 years after “On The Road” was released and how he is coping with the fame that came with the book. Now we have “Kill Your Darlings,” which stars Daniel Radcliffe as the poet Alan Ginsberg, Jack Huston as Jack Kerouac and Ben Foster as the eccentric writer, William S. Burroughs.

This movie takes place in 1944 New York as Allen Ginsberg has enrolled in Columbia University to become a poet like his father. Ginsberg is conflicted about going away to school as his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is mentally unbalanced and it seems that only Allen can control and comfort her. At his father’s (David Cross) insistence, Allen decides to go to college and meets Lucien (Dane DeHaan) a charismatic boy who is the ringleader for a gang of young men who want to change the world of writing. Lucien drags Allen to a party where he meets William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster) and the party’s host, a friend of Lucien named David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall). Lucien decides that Allen is perfect to join his band of misfits, which includes a former football player and would be writer Jack Kerouac.  So begins the origins of the “Beat Generation”. Lucien is the idea man of the gang, the one that comes up with the plans for this new writing movement, which he calls “The New Vision”. Lucien, who seems to be all show because he isn’t a writer at all. In fact, David writes all his papers for college. There is something more to the relationship between David and Lucien as they seem to be almost rivals instead of friends, and we sense that this volatile friendship may end badly.

As Allen deals more with Lucian, he becomes under his spell and starts having feelings for him. Allen becomes so enamored with Lucian that he dreams of making a move on him, something he clearly has never acted on before. Lucien’s influence on Allen grows as the film progresses as Allen becomes more and more in love with Lucien and the ideas that he continually speaks about.

This film centers around Allen and Lucian’s complex relationship and Radcliffe does a fascinating turn as Ginsberg. At times, Radcliffe portrays Allen as a love sick puppy, willing to do just about anything to get the attention of Lucien, but at other times, we see that Allen does have a backbone as he stands up to professors who are stuck in the 19th century way of writing poetry. DeHaan is equally fascinating as the mesmerizing Lucien. He plays Lucien as a man who can easily win over anybody by just using his words and his charisma. There is great chemistry between Radcliffe and DeHaan, each showing the building attraction that they began feeling for each other. Ben Foster also stands out in this cast as the always weird William Burroughs, playing him as a man hell bent on trying every known narcotic as a way to expand his mind. Michael C. Hall as David is perfectly cast as the blustery and sometimes creepy older man who has a thing for the much younger Lucian.

The film moves at a fast pace under the direction of John Krokidas as the film doesn’t have the look or feel of a first time director. The film, through music and cinematography, captures the time when the world was at war, and it’s younger generation was looking for new ways to express themselves. All in all, the film is a fascinating look at the origins of a writing style that influenced not just America but the world. Just a bit of warning to the fans of Daniel Radcliffe’s “Harry Potter” series, the film deals with very adult issues such as drug addiction and contains a very graphic sex scene.

My Rating:  Full Price

“Kill Your Darlings” opens today at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema and Lefont Sandy Springs

"Dallas Buyers Club" Movie Review

My review of "Dallas Buyers Club" starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto.

"Dallas Buyers Club"

Published on Nov. 15, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

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Photo courtesy of Focus Features

“Dallas Buyers Club” (2013)

When we first meet Ron (Matthew McConaughey) it’s 1985 in Dallas, Texas. He is at a rodeo, having sex with a girl hidden in the back with the horses. Then we see him make a few bets on himself to complete a rodeo ride. After failing that, he tries to escape from the other cowboys so that he doesn’t have to pay. Ron is a hard living electrician who rodeos on the side and tries to sleep with any woman he can. After ending up at a hospital due to a fainting spell, Ron is given the news that he is HIV positive and is told to get his affairs in order, he will die in 30 days. Ron at first doesn’t believe his diagnosis of being HIV positive as it is the time when most people thought AIDS was a disease that only effected homosexuals and intravenous drug addicts.

After going through a few drug and alcohol enhanced days, Ron decides to research his “death sentence.”  First to see if it was even possible for a straight man to become HIV positive and then was there any treatment. He soon learns of treatments such as AZT and meets a young doctor (Jennifer Garner) who cares for her patients and wants only the best treatment for them. Ron finds out that getting the trial drugs in the U.S. is tough, so he begins looking for any way possible to get on a treatment program. He discovers that there are experimental drugs readily available in Mexico and Europe, and there are a lot of people, like him that are willing to pay for any sort of treatment. Ron seizes this opportunity to make money and goes to extremes to get the drugs into the U.S. from all over the world.

This is a film where you don’t like the main character, in this case McConaughey’s Ron, at the start of the film. Ron is a hard living, sleep with as many women as you can, homophobic man. We do see a bit of compassion in him when a fellow worker gets injured, and the crew debates if they should call for an ambulance since the worker is an undocumented alien. Ron insists that they call for help. Then takes point in getting the man treatment. This gives us a little insight into Ron and that their just might be some hope for him in the future.

Much has been said about the weight loss that McConaughey went through for the part, but it’s his acting prowess that is really on display in this film. McConaughy lets us see the man that Ron was at the beginning of the film, a man so self-assured to the point of being a jerk. Then slowly Ron’s humanity sinks into his character, to the point that we see the character’s growth as the layers are peeled away revealing his personality. McConaughey is one of those truly gifted actors that bores deep into their roles. You don’t see McConaughey when you see him on screen. Instead, you only see the hard edges of Ron’s life, a man who is determined to live as long as he can.

The supporting cast is outstanding in this film. Ron meets a transsexual named Rayon (Jared Leto) at one of his many trips to the hospital. At first, Ron can only see a very gay man who has nothing in common, other than both men are HIV positive. Ron realizes very early on that most of his potential customers for the HIV fighting drugs will be gay, and this homophobic cowboy is going to need help reach that audience. Ron then recruits Rayon to help sell the drugs and a unique partnership is created. Leto is amazing in the role, letting us and Ron see the disease through a very different pair of eyes. Leto does a chameleon-like transformation in becoming very feminine as Rayon, who is at first just a tool for the purpose of selling drugs. Then he helps teach Ron how to become a more understanding person. Leto gives a performance of a lifetime, giving his heart and soul into a role that a less skilled actor could have made very campy. Instead, his flawed character makes Ron want to be a better person. Griffin Dunne does a fine job as an unlicensed doctor living in Mexico who treats Ron when Ron has nowhere else to go. His treatment at the Mexican clinic gives Ron the insight to seek alternate drugs and treatments. Jennifer Garner plays a doctor that treats Ron very early in the film and becomes someone that Ron leans on when things get tough.

The film, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee and written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallck, “Dallas Buyers Club” moves at a comfortable pace that allows us to see the progression of the main character. It’s that transformation, along with the performances of McConaughey and Leto that make this film so special and the reason to watch it. It’s a film that never sugar coats the subject matter or characters, instead it makes the despair and death become something of hope and humanity. It’s a film that celebrates the overcoming of the odds.

My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

"A.C.O.D." Movie Review

My review of "A.C.O.D." starring Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O'Hara.

A.C.O.D.

Published on Oct. 18, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

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Photo courtesy of The Film Arcade

“A.C.O.D.”  (2013)

Carter (Adam Scott) is a successful restaurant owner, who happens to be a “Adult Child of Divorce.” His parents, Hugh (Richard Jenkins) and Melissa (Catherine O’Hara), have been divorced for over 15 years and refuse to be in the same building, much less, the same room. Their marriage was so contemptuous and combative that the cops were called during Carter’s 9th birthday. Hugh and Melissa life’s work seems to be to make each other as miserable as possible. Both parents have since remarried, with Hugh on wife number 3 (or is it 4?) who happens to always be a much younger woman.

This has had an effect on Carter and his outlook on life. Carter is in a long term relationship with Lauren (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a yoga instructor, but any time marriage is brought up all Carter can do is turn the subject into a joke. His life becomes complicated when his younger brother, Trey (Clark Duke) announces that he is getting married to Kieko (Valerie Tan), a girl he has only known for 6 months. Carter does everything in his power to try and get Trey to elope or at least not invite their parents to the wedding, but Trey is determined to have his parents at the event. Carter, always the peacemaker in his family, must now figure out a way to get his parents to at least tolerate each other until the ceremony is over.

Complicating matters further, Carter discovers that his childhood therapist, Judith (Jane Lynch), who helped him come to terms with his parents’ divorce really isn’t a therapist but a researcher, who wrote a best-selling book called A.C.O.D., and made Carter the main subject. Now she wants to write a follow up to the book on how the children that she studied have turned out as adults.

For such a great cast, which also includes Jessica Alba as a fellow A.C.O.D. book subject and Amy Poehler as Hugh’s current wife-du-jour, this film should have been a blast to watch. Unfortunately, the film never really finds it’s comedic tone and many of its scenes go on way too long.

Adam Scott makes a good Carter, a sort of everyman who on the surface seems to have everything handled, but we just know that might not really be the case. Scott is a good looking guy and has wonderful chemistry with Windtead’s character, which makes it more believable that she would stay with him for so long without going down the aisle. Unfortunately, Scott isn’t given much to work in terms of the script and is overshadowed in scenes, especially the ones with his parents.

Richard Jenkins steals the movie with his over the top father who sees his behavior as being correct and justified. Jenkins plays Hugh as a self-assured man who feels his ex-wife was conceived by the devil himself, just to torture him and he is willing to go to any length to get back at her. Lynch, who could read a phone book on screen and still be funny, is one of the best things about this film. In a very understated performance, she seems to always manipulating Carter, mostly for her own gain. We do get the feeling that she cares for Carter and realizes that he needs to grow as a man before he can really have any chance at a happy life. The rest of the cast just isn’t given much to do. Winstead, though sweet and beautiful, is given a part that doesn’t seem to have much of a backstory so she her character is used as almost a prop. Alba is wasted as a temptation for Carter, someone who can relate to all his parent horror stories while being the bad girl, an almost the opposite of Winstead’s ultra-nice character.

Director/co-writer Stu Zicherman doesn’t help with the energy and the pace of the film. As most of his camera placements are still and unmoving. Making the film, even when set outside seem a little claustrophobic. I felt that the film got too out of hand in the second half of the film, as the script kept creating situations that were often ridiculous and predictable. The film seems to always have the fallback of just getting its characters to scream louder and louder, not giving them the dialogue that would make the scenes funnier.

“A.C.O.D.” is a supposed to be comedy, that should have been a fun and lighthearted look at dealing with the everyday aspect of divorce and what effects it had on the children. Instead it comes off as a film that has very little joy and filled with a great cast that just doesn’t have the material to work with to make it work.

My Rating: Cable

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“A.C.O.D.” is currently playing in Atlanta, Ga at AMC Barrett Commons 24

"Parkland" Movie Review

My review of "Parkland" starring Zac Efron, Tom Welling, Billy Bob Thornton.

                                 "Parkland"

       Published on Oct. 4, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

                            Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Exclusive Releasing

“Parkland”  (2013)

“Parkland” is a film about the John F. Kennedy assassination on that fateful day in Dallas, Texas.  Instead of exploring the conspiracy theories that films such as Oliver Stone’s 1991 film “JFK” did, this film concentrates on the people that were there in Dallas and how the shooting affected them and the people that they loved on a day that forever changed America.

The film opens on the morning of the shooting.  We follow a number of people around doing their jobs, all not knowing that their day is going to be severely altered.  We meet Dr. Charles Carrico (Zac Efron), a young intern who is on a very long shift.  FBI agent is working on creating a list of possible crackpots in the Dallas area.  Secret Service agent Forrest Sorrels (Billy Bob Thornton) is in charge of the parade route.  Bob (James Badge Dale), Lee Harvey Oswald’s brother is working at a supply company.  Mr. Zapruder (Paul Giamatti), is excited for the President’s visit, making sure that his employees all take an early lunch so that they can see him as he rides by.  Zapruder is shown checking his 8 mm motion picture camera, making sure that it’s ready to capture the visit.

The director/writer of the film, Peter Landesman, does a nice job of not showing us the actual shooting, something that most people have seen a number of times, but we witness the shooting through the eyes of the people that witnessed it in Dealey Plaza.  We see the shock on people’s faces as they try to come to terms with what is happening.  This is perfectly done by Giamatti, who plays the man who became famous for shooting the only footage of the assassination, as he reacts to the shooting with absolute horror.

It’s an interesting film about a time when people didn’t have instant access to the news and cell phone cameras were non-existent. Landesman lets the characters speak for themselves.   The film’s strong point is the excellent acting.  Giamatti especially stands out as the man who, because of what he witnessed, becomes a central figure in the investigation.  Marcia Gay Harden does a standup job as the head nurse in the emergency room, taking over when a shocked staff realizes that they are working on the President and not an ordinary victim as they first thought.  Jacki Weaver, playing Marguerite Oswald, the loony mother of Robert and Lee Harvey, is pitch-perfect in the role.  Her character is a woman that would have thrived in the present day, where the media can make a star out of tragedy. Marguerite is the type of person who commands that people pay attention to her, something that Weaver takes and makes it her own.

I found the storyline that centered around Lee Harvey Oswald’s brother, Bob, fascinating.  He is just a guy working at a company one day and the next thing he knows, he becomes a hated man for something he had nothing to do with other than being related to the man that killed the President.  James Badge Dale does a masterful job playing a man who becomes overwhelmed by the situation, as he tries to find out why his brother committed murder and control his spotlight demanding mother.

This is a film that gives us a fresh look at a subject that has been explored many times, showing us the human side to a day the whole country came to mourn.

My Rating:  Bargain Matinee

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

“Parkland” opens today at Atlanta area theatres.

“Parkland” Website