"Irrational Man" Movie Review

My review of "Irrational Man" starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Parker Posey.

"Irrational Man"

Posted on Jul. 31, 2015 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics 

“Irrational Man” (2015)

Abe (Joaquin Phoenix) is the new professor on a small college campus. Abe is a legendary philosophy professor whose best work is behind him. He drinks too much (carrying around a flask in the open to imbibe in) and hasn’t written anything in years. He meets a fellow professor (Parker Posey) who made it very evident she is open to having sex with him.

The only bright spot in his life is a brilliant student of his, Jill (Emma Stone). Jill is fascinated by Abe, especially his worn-out view of life, challenging him to get over his funk. Even though she has a boyfriend, Roy (Jamie Blackley), she starts spending more and more time with Abe. Jill thinks that she has an open relationship with Roy and starts pressuring Abe to sleep with her.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Abe and Jill’s world is changed when they hear a woman complain to friends on how she is going to lose custody of her children due to a judge who is friends with her soon-to-be ex-husband. Abe decides that he must help the woman; which gives him a purpose in life and energizes him. The question is, just how far is Abe willing to go to help the woman?

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Woody Allen wrote and directed this film that explores the meaning of life (or if you take Abe’s position, the meaninglessness of life) and whether committing a crime for the greater good is acceptable. My biggest problem with this film is that Allen lets his characters ramble to the point that I thought that many times Joaquin Phoenix seemed lost in his words. Until the hearing of the woman’s story in the diner, the film appears to be just a long series of tiresome and witless conversations between Stone and Phoenix. Some of it stems from Abe’s lack of likability; he is a sad sack of a man who has given up on life. The film does pick up after the diner incident, but it wasn’t enough to save this movie.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Emma Stone isn’t given much to do, other than worship Abe and hang on his every word. Her character is rather one-dimensional, and while Stone gives it her all, her character never feels real. The Abe character is fleshed out much better than Stone’s, I am not sure that Phoenix fully understood his character, at times it seemed that he was as weary as his character. I would have liked to have Parker Posey do more in the film than just be the oversexed woman who is willing to be a sex partner and possible muse for Abe.

A fair bit of warning; this film is more like Allen’s dramas or mysteries, there is very little comedic elements in this film. There was so much potential with this film but it feels hollow and underdeveloped. It’s as if Allen had an idea for the movie but only wrote one draft, making the story and its characters feeble.   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

“Irrational Man” Website

 

"Unexpected" Movie Review

My review of "Unexpected" starring Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean.

"Unexpected"

Posted Jul. 24, 2015 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of The Film Arcade 

“Unexpected”  (2015)

We first meet Samantha Abbott (Cobie Smulders) as she drives to her job as a science teacher at an inner-city high school in Chicago. She seems a little distracted as she lets her boyfriend off at the L train station. Once she is in her classroom, we see the problem.  She thinks that she might be pregnant, shown by her searching pregnancy self-diagnosis sites on the Internet.

She is well-liked and respected by her students as they respond to her teaching style. The school that she is teaching at is closing at the end of the school year due to budget cuts. It’s not a good time to be single and pregnant. On her way home she buys a pregnancy test that confirms her worst fears; she is pregnant.

Photo courtesy of The Film Arcade

Once home, she tells her boyfriend, John (Anders Holm) who instantly and lovingly gives her support. He assures her that they will figure it out. The next day, over pancakes, he awkwardly proposes to her, and she says yes. Their plan is to have the baby, with Samantha taking year or two off as John supports the two of them. They decide to get married at the courthouse and then break the news to Samantha’s mother Carolyn (Elizabeth McGovern), who is devastated that her daughter is, in her eyes, destroying her life.

After Samantha throws up in front of her students, the school learns that she is pregnant and married. Samantha then learns that Jasmine (Gail Bean) a 3.8-grade-point average student, might be pregnant. Samantha confronts Jasmine, and she confirms that she is indeed pregnant. Samantha pleads with Jasmine for her to keep thinking and applying for college, that she can’t waste this opportunity that all her hard work has given her. The two women will soon be going on a journey to motherhood that will test their will. They will have to count on their friendship to help them survive this experience.

Director Kris Swanberg, who co-wrote the script with Megan Mercer, lets the relationship between the two women slowly evolve from teacher/student to mother-figure/daughter to two pregnant women trying to figure out how they are going to live their lives. It would have been easy to turn this film into another “cable movie of the week,” but Swanberg keeps the relationship moving with some real-world problems that both women are dealing with. Samantha is angry that this pregnancy is derailing her plans for her life. She continues to try to land her dream job with a museum, even though she has already conceded to her husband with the plan to stay at home with the baby. Jasmine, whose boyfriend becomes increasingly absent as the pregnancy goes along, is determined to be the parent to her baby that her mother never was to her. It seems that her mother got addicted and abandoned her, leaving Jasmine and her sister to be brought up by her grandmother.

Gail Bean is outstanding as the smart and determined Jasmine, giving her an air of inner strength, making her a character that demands respect for the choices that she makes. She interacts with Smulders incredibly well on screen, making their friendship seem organic and almost necessary for each character.

Photo courtesy of The Film Arcade

Cobie Smulders gives one of the best performances of her career as the teacher who wants more out of life, not only herself but her student as well. It’s a role that seems to be a natural for Smulders, as she runs the gamut of emotion; from the shock of being pregnant, the anger of not being able to make the most of her profession and the joy of realizing that she is going to be a mother, playing each one so that we feel what she is going through. It’s a demanding role and Smulders is up to the task, showing great range.

This is a film that explores the choices and sacrifices that women make when dealing with pregnancy. It’s to the credit of the two leads that the film works as well as it does. While not a groundbreaking film, it’s an interesting experience showing two women trying to come to grips with the reality of their situations.    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

“Unexpected” Facebook Page

“Unexpected” is currently playing in Atlanta at AMC Southlake 24 Theatres

"Trainwreck" Movie Review

My review of "Trainwreck" starring Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson.

"Trainwreck"

Posted on Jul. 17, 2015 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures 

“Trainwreck” (2015)

When we first meet Amy, she is sitting on the hood of a car with her sister getting a life lesson from their dad (Colin Quinn). Dad is telling the two little girls, through a series of examples with their dolls, how monogamy is bad and how natural it is to want to cheat. “You wouldn’t want to play with just one doll, would you?”

We next see Amy (Amy Schumer) as an adult. She isn’t afraid to sleep around with just about every good-looking guy she meets. Apparently, having one-night stands seems to be the norm for her. Her hard-and-fast rules of dating: don’t learn their names, don’t spend more than one date with them and don’t spend the night. She does have one exception to the rule: Steven (John Cena) a nice, rather dumb jock, with the body of a Greek god. He’s the only male friend that she has, and it’s evident that she means more to him than she thinks.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Amy is a writer, working for a magazine that caters to the young twenty-something males (think Maxim, but shallower). Amy is assigned by her narcissistic boss, Dianna (Tilda Swinton), to do a major article on a doctor who is the sports medicine specialist to the biggest sports stars out there. Amy, at first, declines not knowing anything about sports. Dianna insists as this article could be her fast track to a promotion, and she finally accepts the assignment.

Amy shows up to begin the interview process at Aaron’s office, and she gets to meet NBA great Lebron James (she knows him as the guy on commercials). Lebron is not only one of Aaron’s clients but also his best friend. Early on, Aaron (Bill Hader) figures out that Amy isn’t knowable about sports, but he likes her because she is funny and quick with the banter. He invites her to dinner and both start to relax, having a few drinks (as Amy says later “ok, if you’re counting, four”) as the night continues. Both a little drunk they get a cab, and Aaron soon realizes that he is about to get lucky. What Amy doesn’t realize is that she is about to get lucky too, with a relationship that just might change her life.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

The standard Hollywood rom-com is where the bad boy, who can’t be tied down to one woman, meets the girl that will eventually make him want to settle down. What makes “Trainwreck” so much fun is it takes the rom-com concept and turns it on its ear. It’s Amy that can’t be tied down, and it’s Aaron who is the “one girl kind of guy” that will make her change. Judd Apatow directed the film, and it doesn’t have the feeling (that so many of his films have) that he left too much in the movie. The film seems considerably shorter than its 125-minute length, moving at such a quick pace that you just might have to see this film multiple times to enjoy each jam-packed scene. In most films, Amy would be the quirky sidekick to the girl who gets the guy. Instead, Schumer, who wrote the film, is the centerpiece of the film, and she knows how to perfectly write a screenplay to fit her comedic strengths. It’s a film that both men and women are going to find sidesplitting. Crude enough (without being nasty or mean) for the guys and showing us a woman’s point of view in the dating world for the gals. The dialog is fast, funny, and packed with great interactions between the characters.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

The cast stands out in this film. Colin Quinn is funny as Amy’s bigoted dad, a man who has lived hard and is now paying for his sins by being stuck in a nursing home. Vanessa Bayer is hilarious as Amy’s “gal pal” co-worker that smiles when she gets nervous. John Cena (yes, WWE’s John Cena) perfectly plays the dull but earnest friend with benefits. Tilda plays the egomaniacal Dianna with a true comedic style, milking her part for everything she can get. Brie Larson plays Amy’s sister, a married woman who lives a life opposite of Amy. The biggest surprise of the supporting cast is Lebron James. While not a great actor, he is smart enough to make fun of himself in every scene and plays off of Bill Hader so well that you believe that they are best friends. He’s so good in this film; even the Lebron haters will enjoy his performance.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Bill Hader is the consummate straight man for Schumer, able to hold his own as she spouts wisecracks right and left. He is instantly likable on screen and makes Aaron believable as a guy that has a heart of gold. There is enormous chemistry between Hader and Schumer, making their scenes work between two very different characters.

Make no mistake about it, this is Amy Schumer’s move, and she shines in every scene. It would have been easy to go way over the top with her character, but Schumer seems to know when to reel it in and when to let herself go for it. Schumer has fantastic comedic timing and plays off even the inexperienced Lebron James with astounding results. Schumer makes her character just goofy enough to be someone we can root for while still laughing at her. She is extraordinary in the role, and she dominates the screen with her staggering timing.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

“Trainwreck” is a film that delivers from start to finish, making it breathtakingly funny and touching at the same time. It’s a film that has a great plot and brilliant writing. That’s something you rarely see in today’s movies, much less a romantic comedy.    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

Trainwreck is currently in theatres nationwide.

“Trainwreck” Website

"Amy" Movie Review

My review of the documentary "Amy"

"Amy"

Posted on Jul. 10, 2015 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

 

Photo courtesy of A24

“Amy” (2015)

When Amy Winehouse was alive, I didn’t know much about her. The only things I did know about her were from the news reports about her bad behavior, and the late-night jokes that Letterman and Leno told about her. I also wasn’t a big fan of her music, though I must say that the sole song that I knew from her catalog was the monster hit “Rehab.” After watching “Amy” not only am I in love with her, I want to listen to every song that she ever recorded.

The film, by noted filmmaker Asif Kapadia, starts off with a small birthday celebration shot on home video with three 14-year-old girls mugging for the camera. Amy is almost unrecognizable, as the sweet and somewhat shy girl, until she starts singing “Happy Birthday to You.” Out of this little girl comes a voice that, even at her young age, could already be described as one of the best Jazz vocalists ever.

That’s the fascinating thing about Kapadia’s documentary; you get to know Amy from a young age before fame came crashing down upon her. The film, through a series of home videos, allows us to see and fall in love with Amy before drugs, and alcohol got of a hold of her. The film is told through Amy’s voice using home movies, interviews with her, footage of her recording sessions and live performances. All Amy wanted to do was be a Jazz singer. Her idols were singers like Tony Bennet t and Ella Fitzgerald. She wanted to spend her days writing songs and spend her nights singing in small jazz clubs.

If she had followed that path, Amy would probably be alive. Unfortunately, Amy’s life didn’t turn out that way. Because of a series of events, some caused by herself and her demons, others by the people that were close to her, she was on the road to ruin.

Photo courtesy of A24

The film uses Amy, friends, family and band members, to narrate the movie, using sub-titles to set the timeline. It’s a brilliant move, as we see a pattern of which people are in Amy’s corner and, which are out for themselves. What I didn’t know before I saw the film, was that Amy wrote most of her songs. The film brilliantly uses her notebooks to display the lyrics of her songs on the screen as she sings them. Because Amy wrote about what was troubling her or what she was experiencing, these shots of lyrics on the screen give us an understanding of what Amy was feeling at the time. We get to see and know where Amy was coming from and how deeply she was hurt. Most of the “Back to Black” was about a break up with a boyfriend whom she would eventually marry.

It’s fascinating to watch Amy record her music, whether it’s working on “Back to Black” in a recording studio or recording a duet with one of her idols, Tony Bennett. It gives us a chance to see just how talented a vocalist she was. The early footage of her playing in jazz clubs also gives us an insight to how well she played the guitar (a fact that not a lot of fans know about).

Unfortunately, Amy’s life seems doomed almost from the start. Her father, who she idolized, had an affair when Amy was still a baby and divorced Amy’s mom when Amy was 9. It was the start of the slow, downhill slide of Amy’s life. Amy notes herself, in an on-screen interview, how much of her personality changed after that traumatic event. There are a number of scenes in the movie of Amy smiling and laughing but not as many after her song hit it big, and she started playing the areas and huge outdoor festivals.

Photo courtesy of A24

The last third of the film is tough to watch. She makes a bad decision (getting married to fellow addict Blake Fielder) after a bad decision (inviting her father to join her on an island vacation). The movie shows us what effect the drugs had on her appearance and her behavior. Between her drug habit, her alcoholism, and her bulimia, she was doomed. However, it’s to the credit of Kapadia on how strongly her death hits us. We know it’s coming and because we have fallen hard for her, we hope it won’t happen. Unfortunately, fate had a different choice.       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

“Amy” Website

Amy is playing in Atlanta theatres including Lefont Sandy Springs and Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

"A Little Chaos" Movie Review

My review of "A Little Chaos" starring Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Stanley Tucci.

"A Little Chaos"

Posted on Jul, 3, 2015 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

“A Little Chaos” (2014)

 

Sabine De Barre (Kate Winslet) has been summoned by Andre Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts), the famous landscape architect to an interview. Le Notre has been commissioned by the French King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman) to make Versailles a one-of-a-kind testament to the beauty of France, and he is interviewing landscape artists to fulfill his vision.

Le Notre is in a bad mood, and it’s made worse when looking down on the grounds, he sees Sabine move one of his plants to a different position in a display. He almost instantly dismisses her, first grilling her about her ideas of landscaping, many of which seem to be in opposition to his vast body of work. She finds solace later working on a private garden in the country, making a beautiful display out of practically nothing. As she recovers that night from her hard work, she gets a late-night visitor, Le Notre. Le Notre has reconsidered her proposals and wants to know why she moved his plant in the garden. She soon realizes as their conversation goes on that he is there to hire her. They are about to embark on a magical journey of creativity and possibly love.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Alan Rickman, besides starring as the King, Louis XIV himself, directs this beautiful movie about the love a woman has for the land and the man who slowly falls in love with her. It’s not every day that the main character of a movie is a 16th-century widow who is trying to hold her own in what at the time was considered a man’s profession. Rickman gives us a film that makes this possibility believable due to Winslet and her portrayal of Sabine. Sabine has a secret, something that has happened in her past. We see glimpses of her past life in Sabine’s flashbacks and dreams, but even more revealing is that she hears a child’s voice out of nowhere or sees a small child quickly run by. This is all exposed slowly throughout the film, and creating the tension that we need for the story to work.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

The world that Rickman presents to us isn’t always beautiful. There are the numerous court scandals, as woman and men, try to position themselves as close to the king as possible. Court intrigue, sabotage and weather all create problems for Sabine and her vision to create an incredible part of the garden. It’s a fascinating look at life inside the court, as one man, the King, can make or break a person just because of a whim.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Rickman has assembled a stunning group of actors with Stanley Tucci headlining the supporting cast, playing the King’s brother, Philippe, Duc d”Orleans. Tucci commands the screen as he wears outlandish outfits and complains about everything, from the weather to the size of his hats. Alan Rickman plays the King with zeal, stealing several scenes from the rest of the cast with a performance fit for a king. Matthias Schoenaerts portrays Le Notre as a man who has a single-minded purpose, driven to create his masterpiece for his King. He has great chemistry with Kate Winslet, as their attraction grows throughout the film.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

It’s Winslet that makes this movie watchable. She portrays Sabine as a strong woman who isn’t afraid of hard work, but is afraid to confront her past or let love in again. It’s a remarkable performance and makes the script, which, now and then, gets a little too bogged down in the court intrigue, fascinating and at times, moving.

If you are a lover of costume dramas and court intrigue, this film is for you. It’s not your typical love story, but it is an enjoyable piece made better because of the performances of Tucci and Winslet.   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

The film is playing exclusively in Atlanta at the Plaza Theatre

“A Little Chaos” Website

"In Stereo" Movie Review

My review of "In Stereo" starring Beau Garrett, Maggie Geha, Aimee Mullins.

"In Stereo"

Posted on Jul. 3, 2015 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Circus Road Films

“In Stereo” (2015)

David (Micah Hauptmann) seems to have it all. He has a great apartment in NYC, he is an up and coming photographer, and he has a wonderful girlfriend in Brenda (Beau Garrett). His world changes when she wants to move in with him. Fast forward a year later and Brenda is not around. We learn this as David discusses his life with his therapist. He is living with Jennifer (Melissa Bolona), a young girl whom he catches looking at his cell phone. They get into a massive argument, and she leaves in a huff. David decides to follow her, as he believes that she just might be cheating on him. It seems that David is almost hoping that he will catch her with someone. His worst fears are realized when he follows her to his best friend’s apartment.

Compounding things is David’s latest photo project; he takes pictures of people at the height of aggravation, brought on by David’s attempt to get them mad. He gets punched out be a guy in a bar and gets arrested by a cop when he steals that police officer’s donut. Added to David’s misery, he has a chance encounter with Brenda, who very quickly cries on his shoulder, bring up feelings he thought he had buried.

The film, written and directed by Mel Rodriquez III, takes an interesting ploy as most of the first half of the movie is seen through the eyes of David. We follow him around town as he baits bar patrons to get a picture, gets into arguments with his girlfriend Jennifer, and has a beer or two with his best friend, Chris (Kieran Campion). Most of David’s section of the film are narrated by him as he tells of his latest triumphs (only a few) and failures (of which there are many) to his shrink (Sean Cullen). The second half of the film is kind of a split screen type of story as we see David and Brenda separately trying to survive their unhappiness. These are two very unhappy lives that they have created for themselves. The script has a Woody Allen vibe to it as its characters travel about the streets of New York City as each character moves in and out of conversations that are witty and fun to watch.

Photo courtesy of Circus Road Films

The supporting cast is excellent with standouts such as Kieran Campion playing Chris, the troubled rich kid who is double-crossing his best friend and Mario Cantone, who plays Brenda’s super smug agent, with which she has a love/hate relationship. Melissa Bolona is believable as the very immature and high-strung girlfriend of David. I especially enjoyed Sean Cullen as the world-weary psychiatrist who is trying to get David to accept his mistakes in life and find at least a little happiness. 

It’s to the credit of lead actors Beau Garrett and Micah Hauptman that I liked this film so much because both their characters aren’t exactly likable. Garrett perfectly plays Brenda as an actress who has some success (so that she is recognizable) but isn’t above auditioning for a commercial about STD’s. Garrett has an on-screen quality to her that causes us to believe that she will eventually figure out how to make it the entertainment world. Hauptman has the hard task of making David root-able because he is such a sad sack of a guy, someone who continually and purposely, shoots himself in the foot. While their time with each other is limited on the screen, there is great chemistry between the two principals, letting you see how easily their characters fit so well.

While “In Stereo” is not a perfect film, it is an enjoyable take on the genre of romantic comedy, and its two leads work skillfully together, so much so that it is worth your time.    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

“In Stereo” is playing in Atlanta exclusively at the Plaza Theatre

“In Stereo” Website