"Microbe & Gasoline"

"Microbe & Gasoline" Movie Review

"Microbe & Gasoline"

Posted on July 22,2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

“Microbe and Gasoline” (2016)

Daniel (Ange Dargent) is sometimes called Microbe by teasing classmates because he is small, though he is quick to say that he isn’t the smallest in his class. He is a shy kid, especially around girls and not particularly popular. Daniel has a talent for drawing, which he is constantly doing. He has been brought up by his mother to question authority and to get in touch with his emotions. Bullied at school and mistaken for a girl (even his own teacher thinks he is a girl because of his long hair and meek demeanor. Life at home isn’t much better. He is blamed for everything that goes wrong, even if it is evident that his brother did it. His mother (Audrey Tautou) is always making him talk about his feelings and worse yet, feeds his meatless meals. His older brother is a punk rocker, who between his horrible band and his thuggish ways, constantly torments Daniel. Daniel biggest worry is about sex as he thinks he may never have a relationship with a girl, much less have sex.

His world changes when Theo (Theophile Baquest) stars attending Daniel’s school. The exact opposite of Daniel, Theo is outgoing, quick to give his opinion on everything and loves engaging in conversations. The two boys form a bond almost immediately, realizing they are two odd ducks in a big pond. Theo is given the nickname of Gasoline because in his spare time, he works on small engines. Theo’s home life is even worse than Daniel’s. His father thinks he is useless, and his mother thinks that he is on this earth to serve her every need. When Theo ends up being the only person to visit Daniel’s one-man art show, he cheers him up by acting as if the gallery is packed with people.

Sent on an errand to take scrap metal for sale, the boys find a small motorcycle engine and use the scrap metal proceeds to buy it. The boys decide that they will design and build a car so that Theo can visit his old summer camp. They create their car in the shape of a small house, with even a flower box and a way, when parked, to hide the fact that it’s a car. The boys are ready for their adventure and what an adventure it will be.

I enjoyed this coming of age adventure which explores to boys trying to figure out their place in the world. Microbe comes off as the much more serious of the two, with his several perceived problems always weighing him down. Theo is more of a fun-loving kid with a devil-may-care attitude. What I liked about this film are the conversations that the two boys have as they are on their adventure. The film tackles some interesting topics, including sexuality and the talks between the two characters seem real and refreshingly honest. Writer/director Michel Gondry keeps the film restrained and subtle, never going for a big laugh but instead has a much lighter touch as we enjoy our travels with the guys.

The chemistry between Theophile Baquest playing Theo and Ange Dargent playing Daniel is marvelous. The two share a bond on the screen that makes this film enjoyable and work so well. Baquest has a commanding presence on the screen that draws your eye to him in every scene that he is in. His portrayal of Theo is full of confidence and quick patter. Dargent has the harder job of the two, making us like the quieter and shy character of the two but Dargent carries it off with a restrained but memorable performance. Audrey Tautou isn’t given much to do in the film, other than being a disconnected mom, not displaying her usual on-screen energy.

“Microbe & Gasoline” is an enjoyable adventure with two boys on their way to manhood.    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 the Atlanta area at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

“Microbe & Gasoline” Website

"Hunt for the Wilderpeople"

"Hunt for the Wilderpeople" Movie Review

"Hunt for the Wilderpeople"

Posted on July 15, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” (2015)

Ricky (Julian Dennison), a 12-year-old Maori boy, obsessed with rap songs, is brought to a remote New Zealand farm run by Hec (Sam Neill) and his wife, Bella (Rima Te Wiata). Hec and Bella are going to be his foster aunt and uncle for the next few months. The caseworker describes Ricky as “A bad egg. We’re talking disobedience, stealing, spitting, running away, throwing rocks, kicking stuff, loitering, and graffiti.” Ricky looks around the farm very quickly and decides he doesn’t want to stay. He is told by the case worker who makes him get back out of the police car “There is no one else who wants you.” Bella right away tries to make Ricky feel at home, giving him a hug, but Ricky doesn’t like it there and decides to run away that night. He is found by Hec and his dog the next morning, no more than 200 yards from the house.

Slowly but surely Bella works her charm, and Ricky gradually grows to like living on the farm; that is if he can stay out of the sights of Hec, who barely tolerates the boy. Bellas nightly checks in with Ricky before he goes to bed, and her warm personality, wear down the hard shell that Ricky has developed from living in foster homes. Bella takes Ricky on hunting trips, teaching the young boy how to shoot a rifle and how to bring down wild hogs. He realizes that he just might have a home here with Bella and Hec when they celebrate his birthday (a first) and give him his own dog, which he promptly names Tupac. That all comes crashing down when Ricky comes home from playing with his dog and discovers Hec crying over the dead Bella, who has collapsed out in the yard. A few days later, Hec tells Ricky that he has to give him up to the case worker, and Ricky knows his next stop will be juvenile detention. He decides to run away, but Hec finds Ricky a few days into his escape attempt out in the bush. On their way back, Hec gets his foot caught in a root and fractures his ankle. Now he is going to have to depend on the boy to help him recover before they can complete their journey, a journey that will take them on one big adventure that will change both their lives.

It’s no secret that Taika Waititi is one of my favorite filmmakers out there. He was written and directed some of the most inventive films of the past ten years. His lineup, most of which is set in his native New Zealand, includes “Eagle vs Shark” (2007), “Boy” (2012) and “ What We Do in the Shadows.” He has brought us another gem with the funny and touching adventure film “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” This is a joyous film that celebrates that people, no matter how different their personalities are, can still find comfort and love in shared experiences. Waititi is subtle in his building of scenes, letting us enjoy small moments like Ricky pretending to dance to a Walkman he made of grass as Hec looks on in wonderment. It’s those little scenes that let us get inside the characters and see how they interact with each other. Waititi treats his characters with a reverence that makes us like and root for the city kid and the gruff bushman. The film is broken up into chapters as the story unfolds and as the movie moves at a comfortable pace, with lots of humor thrown in. The cinematography by Lachlan Milne, makes the lush New Zealand bush country seem like a character all on its own. I loved the score of the film, by the team of Lukasz Pawel Buda, Samuel Scott, and Conrad Wedde. The music in the movie significantly contributes to the over feel and pace of the film.

The chemistry of Neill and Dennison is thick on the screen as the two play off each other incredibly well. As you would expect, Neill is spot on as the man who has little time for Ricky’s antics. It’s Dennison that makes this movie work so well. His knack for physical comedy while also being able to tone it down when necessary is magical. There are some brilliant scenes where the two characters try to find common ground, as they struggle even to find the right words to communicate with each other. Rima Te Wiata is brilliant as the big-hearted Aunty Bella. Wiata portrays Bella as a force of nature that neither Hic or Ricky will be able to resist. Rachel Hall is hilarious as the obsessed social worker who is determined to hunt down Ricky as she spouts off inappropriate catch phrases such as “No child left behind.”

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is a beautiful, magical film that you won’t want to end. I am in fact ready to go on another adventure with Hec and Ricky.    My Take: 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

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is playing in Atlanta exclusively at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

“Hunt for Wilderpeople” Website

"Zero Days"

"Zero Days" Movie Review

"Zero Days"

Posted on July 8, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

“Zero Days” (2016)

Oscar-winning writer/director Alex Gibney has brought us such documentaries as “The Armstrong Lie” (2013) and “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” (2015). With Gibney’s films, you know you are going to get some hard-hitting investigating reporting, often looking at the scary parts of our world with an investigative mind mixed with a bit of humor. Gibney isn’t afraid to go after institutions that have a tendency to fight back, and in “Zero Days” delves into the cloak-and-dagger world of international internet hacking.

In 2010 the anti-malware software company, Symantec Corporation (long time developers of the antivirus software Norton) discovered a potentially lethal and potent computer virus. It was the most sophisticated virus ever created, with levels and levels of code containing more mysteries than answers. It didn’t need to be spread by the Internet, making it extremely hard to stop and unlike most malware; it didn’t need external commands to carry out its mission. The anti-malware community studied the virus they eventually named “Stuxnet.” It was months of months of research before they finally started to peel back the very complex layers and slowly find out just what the target was for this virus that was sweeping the world, infecting computers at an alarming rate. Whoever built “Stuxnet” had deep pockets and apparently the virus was created to target Iran’s atomic program. Who would want to bring down Iran’s nuclear plants and how far are they willing to go to do so?

When you watch this film, you will be at times frustrated, angry and downright scared. Gibney presents the information about “Stuxnet” in tidbits, bringing the mystery to a full and complete tension filled reveal that just might have your jaw on the floor. The film is frustrating because not every individual that Gibney talks to is forthcoming in their testimony, sometimes for maddening and silly reasons. As with most of his films, Gibney asks his questions off camera making the camera itself a part of the cast of the movie. There are few times that you can hear how frustrated Gibney is when his questions are avoided. In typical Alex Gibney fashion, these issues will be eventually answered in depth. He crafts this film as if we are on a spy mission with him, delving into topics we could get in trouble investigating. A few times during the movie I worried about Gibney, wondering if he was pushing this subject too far. Would he end up like some of the people in the film, mysteriously dying in car bombs or disappearing into the mist, like a John Le Carre novel?

The film doesn’t only deal with trying to figure out who created/released “Stuxnet” but, also looks at a world going down the slippery slope of attacking another country using malware. The film points out that while not perfect, there have been significant advances in creating treaties for nuclear proliferation, chemical weapons, and even the laying of mines. There need to be guidelines/treaties about attacking another country via software set so that countries like Russia, North Korea, and yes, even the U.S. is going to release a virus that might just shut down the world’s infrastructure.

I enjoyed this film, and the first two-thirds of it move at a fast clip that has a number of revelations that you don’t see coming. Unfortunately, once the big reveal is done, and we have all the information about “Stuxnet,’ the film starts to slow down. The film begins to explore the world of modern warfare that includes malware, bogging down the movie with a lot of talking heads. I think Gibney would have been better served to make a “where do we go from here?” separate movie. There is also a reveal I didn’t like about a person, whose testimony is the key to the information that we gather throughout the film. That reveal exploits the trust we have in that person and the filmmaker.

While not one of Alex Gibney’s best, “Zero Days” is an important film that will be the subject of much discussion by the media and its audience. Just be warned, after seeing this movie, you may invest in new antivirus software because you are going to get a little paranoid at the end.    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

“Zero Days” is playing in the Atlanta area exclusively at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

“Zero Days” Website

"Swiss Army Man"

"Swiss Army Man" Movie Review

"Swiss Army Man"

Posted on July 1, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

“Swiss Army Man” (2015)

Hank (Paul Dano) has been barely surviving on a deserted island with no hope of rescue, very few resources and his will to live dwindling day by day. Just as he is about to hang himself from a cliff, he notices that a body (Daniel Radcliffe) has washed up on the beach in front of him.

Hank rushes over to the body, thinking that this could be the companion that he needs to relieve the insanity of living alone for so long on the island. Much to his dismay, after attempts to save the person, he realizes that the body is too far along to be revived. After a bit of soul-searching, Hank decides to go ahead with his suicide. Just as he is about to kick the cooler out from under his feet and do the deed, he notices something about the body that just might help him get off his island. It seems that the dead body just might be his tool to survival and his mental health.

“Swiss Army Man” is a touching, funny, highly inventive film from the writing/directing team of Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, known together as the Daniels. Right off the bat, I will warn you that this film isn’t for everybody. It takes a bit of a strong stomach for a few of the scenes and at my Atlanta screening, two couples left at different times, deciding that this film wasn’t for them. If you like weird, offbeat films that have a strange sense of humor, then this just might be your type of movie. This is an ambitious attempt at something wonderfully unique. This movie is incredibly weird and different; I would have loved to be in on the pitch that the Daniels did for the investors of the film. How many times did they have to go back and mention that Dano and Radcliffe had agreed to do the movie before the backers were convinced?

Almost the whole movie is with just Dano and Radcliffe on the screen, and Radcliffe does a remarkable job of playing the corpse in the first third of the film. While Radcliffe has to play the un-expressive corpse, it’s Dano that had to do the heavy lifting in the movie (both figuratively and literally). Throughout the film, Dano is asked to carry the load of their “conversations,” and he does it with incredible comic timing. There is excellent chemistry between the two actors, making each scene work with ease and to sometimes surprisingly touching effect. Both actors have incredible control over their bodies, making the physical comedy, which at times becomes almost “Three Stooge-like”, some of the best scenes of the film.

The film has a tendency to do a few jokes/comedic scenes that only a third grader would love, and there are just too many fart jokes that become a little tiring after a while, but those are some minor problems in such an original script. My biggest problem with the film is that the Daniels write themselves into a corner that they really can’t get their characters out of, making the ending of the film seem abrupt and not up to the inventiveness of the rest of the movie. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible score for the film by Andy Hull and Robert McDowell of the rock band Manchester Orchestra. There are a number of scenes that don’t have any dialogue, and the music greatly increases the emotional tone of the film. The minimalist score fits the film perfectly, and its use of a cappella singing is brilliant, at times contributing greatly to the comedic scenes.

A few critics have compared this film to the 1989 comedy “Weekend at Bernie’s” but that film’s creativity went away during the first five minutes of the movie, making it unfair to compare the two movies. Because “Swiss Army Man” is so different, mixing broad comedy aspects with some very sweet, tender moments and combines a unique script with two strong performances even mentioning the other film would be a great disservice to this creative and original movie. Go see this funny, unusual and eccentric film. It’s worth the ticket price to go on a survival adventure with Hank and his strange buddy.     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

Mike’s interview with Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull and Robert McDowell, who wrote and preformed the score of the film

“Swiss Army Man” Website