'Landline'

'Landline' Movie Review

'Landline'

Posted on July 29, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Landline (2017)

It’s Labor Day in 1995, and Dana (Jenny Slate) and Ben (Jay Duplass) are attempting to have sex, and between the bugs, weird noises and Dana’s parents next door, it’s not going well. Dana and Ben emerge from the woods just in time to get in the car and leave the family vacation home. We meet Dana’s parents, Alan (John Turturro) and Pat (Edie Falco) and her younger sister, Ali (Abby Quinn). As the family drives back to the city, Alan and Dana revel in singing along with the radio. Pat is working on a crossword puzzle, and Ali is showing her disdain at the singing. Ben corrects Dana on a lyric to the song, and Alan backs him up. Ali and Pat argue over what schools Ali should apply for. The whole family starts arguing as the car drives down the highway.

Back in the city, Alan is working a play that he has been writing for quite a while. Pat walks by Ali’s room and realizes that she is still up. Pat demands that Ali hangs up the phone and goes to bed. Ali resists at first then gives in. The next day, Dana goes to work, complaining about a rash she got while vacationing. She discusses her love life with her co-worker, and it’s obvious that Dana and Ben are kind of in a rut. We cut to a bedroom where Ali is making up a song as she sings to her boyfriend Jed (Marquis Rodriquez) and he takes a puff or two on a pot pipe. She has Jed spray her with cologne before she leaves so that her mother ‘the drug sniffer’ won’t smell the pot on her.

Ali comes home, and that family gets ready for dinner. They discuss Dana reluctance to set a wedding date. Alan tells the family that he wants them all together when his play is read at a friend’s house. Neither Pat nor Ali reacts to this news with any excitement. We cut to Dana and Ben taking a shower together. They discuss that she might have gotten poison ivy at the vacation home. Dana and Ben go to a friend’s house for a party. Dana bumps into an old boyfriend, Nate (Finn Wittrock) and this chance encounter just might change Dana’s life, possibly destroying her marriage before it has even started.

There is a big problem with this film, no matter how much I love Jenny Slate (she should be in every ‘rom-com’ that is made from this point on), her character, Dana isn’t likable. Dana makes one mistake after another (if you can call cheating on her fiancé just a mistake) and never seems to learn from them. It’s as if co-writer/director Gillian Robespierre thought that because Slate, the actress, is sweet and lovable we would find Dana cute and adorable but in reality, we never can get behind anything that she does. Dana isn’t the only unlikable character; Alan (played by John Turturro) is having an affair with an unknown woman, and Ali is determined to find. Pat (played by Edie Falco) is always belittling her husband. Ali (played by Abby Quinn) is skipping out to go clubbing, taking drugs and talking back to her parents at a constant rate. The only character that is somewhat likable is Dana’s fiancé Ben (played by Mark Duplass) who comes off ok but a sad sack of a guy. These are severely dysfunctional people that seem to look for trouble.

The one stand out of this cast is Abby Quinn who is incredible as the high-strung little sister Ali. Quinn shows an excellent singing voice and is a joy to watch as the fiery young woman who feels that her parents are overbearing. Ali is convinced that nothing is going to hurt her, whether it’s the drugs that she takes, the bad influence her friends have on her and her determination to figure out who is her Dad’s mistress is. It’s a performance full of life, spunk, and Quinn nails the part.

The plot seems a little disjointed, trying to cover too much instead of focusing on the problems of Dana and Ben. Landline is funny at times and occasionally touching, but I wanted more heart and charm. I was disappointed in this movie because it comes from the same team that gave us the brilliant Obvious Child and has a cast that most films could only dream of, but Landline never quite comes together, making the film seem incomplete.    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

Landline opens Friday at Regal Tara Cinema 4

'Band Aid'

'Band Aid' Movie Review

'Band Aid'

Posted on July 21, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Band Aid (2017)

When we first meet married-couple Anna (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Ben (Adam Pally), they are arguing about all the dirty dishes in the sink. Ben claims that he has only put one dish in the sink, all the rest are Anna’s. In fact, he goes so far as to call her a ‘dish Nazi’ to which she takes much offense to since she is Jewish. She calls him “legally retarded” and that she comes from a long line of Holocaust survivors. They get into a shouting match of obscenities that ends with both of them almost singing the obscenities.

Later, they are in the car, and Ben tells Anna that he has to call his mom. Anna begs Ben not to call, even promising sex if he doesn’t, but he does anyway. While he talks with his mom, Anna prepares a small device that looks like a lipstick but is used to smoke pot. While Anna takes a hit, Ben’s mom talks about that he has to give her a grand kid. He hangs up, and they get into an argument about if he has told his mom about her miscarriage. While she has told her parents, he hasn’t told his mom because it would upset her too much.

We next see the couple in counseling. As the counselor looks on exhausted, the couple gets into an argument on who should say sorry to who. The counselor gives them some great advice about how they both are in pain, and they need to get out of the rut of arguing about the same things over and over. She tells them that “their time is up, and I’m moving to Canada.”

Ben and Anna are now at a birthday party for a young boy whose parents they are good friends with. The boy’s mom, Grace (Hannah Simone) asks how high Anna is. Anna says, “on a scale of 1 to 5, a 100. Ben and Anna are dodging conversations about babies and kids right and left with the parents at the party. After some uncomfortable situations, Anna and Ben retreat to the bathroom and sitting on the floor, they start smoking a joint again. Ben and Anna talk about how they aren’t where they thought they would be in their lives.

Next, they are back outside, and they start playing a few kid instruments like a small electric guitar and a microphone. A few of the kids participate as they play a short song that they make up on the fly. We cut to the next morning, and Anna and Ben are in bed. After the discussion gets too serious, Ben talks about how good a time they had yesterday. Anna says she really enjoyed the song and maybe they should turn all their fights into songs. Could this be the way that Anna and Ben start healing their marriage?

Band Aid is a funny, touching, sometimes emotional and poignant look at two people in a marriage who have suffered a devastating loss and are looking for some way to reconnect with each other. They find that through music, using their fights as sources for the songs; they can reestablish their love for each other. First-time director Zoe Lister-Jones finds a perfect mix of comedy and drama that put’s its own spin on the romantic comedy genre with a bit of a musical thrown it. Lister-Jones has created a unique world where our main characters are awash in suburbia and confronted continually with families happily throwing their successes (sometimes on purpose) in the faces of Ben and Anna. Surrounded by this seeming paradise has become hell for the couple, and they have lost their way until they start making music together.

Lister-Jones has created some very complex characters, such as Anna, who not only feels like a failure in not having children but also was once a promising writer who now has to drive a Uber to support her family. Failure is as well at the heart of Ben’s character, who never quite made it as an artist, having given up on the dream a long time ago. Ben now makes an occasional attempt at work (like designing a logo), but he would rather wallow in his misery and play video games all day. Even the secondary characters are full and robust, like weird Dave played by Fred Armisen. Dave is a strange guy who lives in the neighborhood who is a former sex addict. He eventually plays the drums in the band that Ben and Anna form. Dave is the type of guy who just shows up at your house, asks a couple of strange questions and then leaves. His two best friends (played by Jamie Chung and Erinn Hayes) that are also former sex addicts and Dave can’t see that they are gorgeous (he thinks they are plain). It’s a running gag that keeps working throughout the film.

The songs from the film (at least the ones that Ben and Anna play) were written by Zoe Lister-Jones and Kyle Forester and are performed by Lister-Jones, Adam Pally, and Fred Armisen. Most of the songs are hysterical, based on Ben and Anna’s fights (some of the lyrics are direct quotes from their tussles) and several are quite good with excellent hooks. As the couple starts connecting through their songs, they get braver and move out of the garage to perform at a local bar. The band is so good, and the songs are a heck of a lot of fun; they start getting a following and the crowds, once apathetic and small, become quite big and vocal as the movie moves along. As their songs get stronger, so does the connection between Anna and Ben. The songs allow them to feel again and explore their relationship. Both Anna and Ben realize that their lives are just beginning, and they need to quit dredging up the past, thinking about their failures and start looking toward the future.

Like the songs, the dialogue is funny and sometimes moving. Lister-Jones keeps the film proceeding at a nice pace, and some of the best scenes are those quiet times when Ben and Anna start the healing process. There is a scene where Anna has found the joy in living again, and she lines the bed up against the wall and just sort of starts slamming into the bed with a joyous kind of rage. It’s a small scene in the film, but I just love it.

Band Aid is a film that will make you laugh a lot, but for anyone who has had trouble in a relationship, it will also get you to think. Its message is that it’s never too late to save a relationship. It just might take an unconventional way to fix it. Here’s hoping we all find our song to sing with a loved one.   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 currently playing in the Atlanta area at the Plaza Theatre

‘Band Aid’ Website

"To the Bone'

"To the Bone" Movie Review

"To the Bone"

Posted on July 14, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

To the Bone (2017)

We see a number of young women doing arts and crafts while talking about how magazines are giving women the wrong message that causes eating disorders. Our first introduction to Ellen (Lily Collins), an extremely skinny 20-year-old woman, is when she makes fun of the women who were complaining. Lily is asked by the counselor running the meeting to change her tone. Ellen smiles then holds up the sign that she has been working on, which has a graphic saying on it. Some of the girls react shocked, a few laugh, but the counselor is not happy. We next see Ellen pushing a cart down the hallway with all her stuff on it. It’s undeniable that she has been kicked out of the program. She meets a girl in the hallway who calls her a bitch. Ellen tells her “Told you I could get kicked out; you owe me a carton of Camels.”

Ellen is in a cab and looking out the window as fast-food restaurants seem to be on every corner. Ellen is let out in front of a nice-looking house in the suburbs. She stands in front of the house smoking a cigarette as she steels herself to face her family. She finally rings the doorbell, and the maid greets her with “Look at you; your parents are going to kill you.” Her step mother has decided that she is going to stay in the garage. We next see artwork on the walls that Ellen has done while we hear her exercising. The artwork is well done but very dark. Ellen is doing sit-ups on the floor next to her bed.

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Ellen is next sitting at the kitchen counter as the maid serves her a big plate of pork chops and noodles. Ellen is talking with her kid sister, Kelly (Liana Liberato). Ellen is playing a game, telling Kelly exactly how many calories there are from each item on her plate. Kelly checks her phone to see if she got it right, which Ellen nails. Kelly says that Ellen has “calorie Asperger’s.” The maid tells Ellen that she needs to eat the meat and not just the beans. Susan, Ellen’s stepmother (Carrie Preston) comes into the room apologizing that she was late and hugs Ellen. You can tell from the hug that Ellen is not comfortable around Susan. We cut to Susan talking to Ellen telling her that her father (who still not home) is not happy with Ellen. Susan says the doctors at the last treatment center said Ellen was defiant and a bad influence on the other girls. Ellen says that she is “maintaining.’ Susan says that Ellen can stay, but only if she agrees to be weighed, and she keeps her weight up. We next see Ellen getting weighed by Susan. Ellen takes off her sweater, and we see just how skinny she is. Susan is shocked by how Ellen looks. Susan looks at the scale with sadness as she realizes just how much weight Ellen has lost. Susan then takes a picture and shows Ellen what she looks like. If Ellen keeps losing weight, she is going to die. Will the new doctor whom Ellen is about to see finally be able to get Ellen to eat and save her life?

The new Netflix produced film. To the Bone, written and directed by Marti Noxon, tells the story of a young anorexic woman struggling with the disease. Ellen is about to meet a very unconventional doctor, Dr. Beckham, played by Keanu Reeves and be placed in a home for people suffering eating disorders. Noxon was someone who struggled with anorexia and bulimia into her 20s, so she knows the material. Noxon gives Ellen a dry sense of humor and the young men and women she lives within the home all have a ‘gallows’ sense about themselves, constantly tell inside-jokes that might be cruel in an ordinary situation. The house allows us to see all types of eating disorders. While Ellen just doesn’t eat, others in the house binge and purge, many like Ellen do exercise to burn calories. It’s an insight into a world that most people are never exposed to.

The film is filled with an extraordinary cast. Keanu Reeves plays Dr. Beckham, a man who uses tough love and unconventional treatments (like taking the whole home to an art museum) to get his patients to get in control of their disease. Reeves is perfectly cast in the role, bring that sense of cool and caring that he can project so well. Carrie Preston is Ellen’s step mom, Susan, who cares about Ellen but doesn’t know how to deal with her. Preston does her usually excellent job, making Susan into a nervous puzzled mess. Lili Taylor plays Ellen’s real mom, Judy, who is in a relationship with a woman played by Brooke Smith. Judy left Ellen’s father when Ellen was thirteen. The couple now lives far away in Phoenix where they run a horse therapy farm. Taylor and Smith play off each other extremely well. Several of Ellen’s housemates stand out. Leslie Bibb is a bulimic who is pregnant and is stressed about trying to maintain her weight and keep her baby safe. Alex Sharp is a witty, anorexic ballet dancer who sees something in Ellen that she can’t see. Sharp is very funny in his feature-film debut, giving it some hope in a house that doesn’t have a lot of it. Sharp has good chemistry with Lily Collins, and their scenes together are some of the best of the film.

To the Bone is Lily Collins film, and she runs with the part. Collins recently disclosed that she dealt with eating disorders in her teens and that authenticity shows on the screen. She allows us into Ellen’s life, which seems to be a constant battle between what Ellen knows is right and what she is desperate to attain, to be as skinny as she possibly can. It’s a subtle, but powerful performance that has you rooting for this troubled woman from almost the start. This is Lily Collins finest performance to date and gets everything she can out of the part.

Performances aside, I wanted to love this film, but I only liked it. I never quite got connected to the lead character. I think that if we saw more of the work that Dr. Beckham and Ellen did together in sessions, we would have gotten more of insight into her character. It’s a heartfelt movie with some moving scenes, but the plot goes for some easy outs in a film that should have had a harder tone to it. I think people that have dealt with eating disorders will enjoy this movie, but for others, it will fall a little flat.   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 film will not be released theatrically and is now available on Netflix.

To the Bone Website

"The Little Hours"

'The Little Hours' Movie Review

"The Little Hours"

Posted on July 14, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

The Little Hours (2017)

When we first see Sister Fernanda (Aubrey Plaza), a nun, she is leading a donkey across a path in the woods in the early morning. Her habit is in her hands, and it looks as if she has done this many times. She leads the donkey across a meadow to some sort of enclosure. Now with her habit on she leads the donkey through a gate and to a corral. Sister Genevra (Kate Micucci) comes up to Fernanda and discusses how and why the donkey is getting out. A gardener stops to say good morning to the sisters, and they turn and start yelling and cursing at him to never talk or look at them.

We cut to a group of sisters going into a church as a bell rings in the tower. They are greeted by the Mother Superior (Molly Shannon), and then we see Father Tommasso (John C. Reilly) who conducts a service for the sisters. After service, Mother Superior questions Fernanda about why she wasn’t at morning prayers, and they discuss the donkey situation. We then meet Sister Alessandra (Alison Brie), who is doing embroidery, but you can tell her heart isn’t in it as she stops and looks out the window daydreaming. We next see Sisters Genevra and Fernanda are washing linen and gossiping about Sister Alessandra. We later see Sister Genevra telling the Mother Superior about several things that the other sisters are doing.

Sister Alessandra gets a visit from her father (Paul Reiser), and they do some small talk, then he breaks the news that things are not going well, and they do not have the money for a dowry. He suggests that her life in the nunnery will be permanent, leaving his daughter in tears. We next see Sisters Fernanda, Genevra and Alessandra walking past the garden. They notice that the gardener is looking at them. They start yelling at him, then led by Sister Alessandra they go into the garden and start Aubrey Plaza assaulting him. Father Tommasso is about to leave to sell the linen and embroidery at the market when the gardener quits.

We cut to a castle where the master of the house, Lord Bruno (Nick Offerman) is telling his wife Marta (Jemima Kirke) a long reason why they are about to lose everything. She isn’t interested in listening to her husband but more about making eyes with one of the servants, Massetto (Dave Franco) as he keeps filling her goblet with wine. We cut to Massetto and Marta in bed, talking about her husband after they have had sex. Lord Bruno comes into the room, and Massetto is able to just escape. Later, Massetto, having been caught several times by the Lord, decides to run away, rather than suffer the wrath of his lord. Massetto, Father Tommasso, and the sisters are about to meet, and it’s going to be very interesting how Massetto fits into the life of nunnery.

From when at the start of the movie the two nuns shout obscenities at the gardener for looking at them, you know that we’re not watching an ordinary movie about nuns in the 1500’s. Based loosely (I would say very loosely) on the 14th century set of short stories by Giovanni Boccaccio, the film, while based in Tuscany in the 14th century, the language and actions of the inhabitants of this movie are more like a sitcom on HBO. The language is modern, bawdy and often vulgar with the dialogue mostly improvised. The characters seem to want to sleep with as many people as they can, and they do. They don’t let a little thing like chastity and a bond to the church stop them from having a great time.

The film has plenty to work with, and the stellar cast is up to the task. Molly Shannon is silly and amusing as the Mother Superior who lusts after Father Tommasso, played by a deadpanned John C. Reilly. Nick Offerman plays the lord who has been cuckolded by Dave Franco’s servant and is out for blood. Offerman has a hilarious scene where he is giving his wife a grim outlook on how everyone is out to get them. Aubrey Plaza is a lustful nun who has a mouth like a steelworker and won’t hesitate to use violence to get her way. Plaza runs with the role and gives the film its energy with an almost hyper performance. Kate Micucci is the nun who will tell on someone at a moment’s notice, and while she lusts for sex, she doesn’t quite know how to get it. Alison Brie, as the nun who just wants to get married and Dave Franco, the servant who only wants to survive, is the heart of the film. The two have great chemistry together, and Brie comedic timing is spot on. The smart cast is filled out by stellar actors such as Paul Reiser as Alessandra’s selfish father, Fred Armisen as the self-important Bishop and Jemima Kirke as a mysterious woman who is a friend of Aubrey Plaza’s Sister Fernanda.

Writer/director Jeff Baena keeps the film moving at a quick pace which helps us look over some of the spots of the movie that doesn’t quite mesh, sometimes due to the improvised dialogue. The soundtrack of mostly period music by Dan Romer and cinematography by Quyen Tran, add to the ambiance of the film. The Little Hours is a comedy that pushes the boundaries, like a Monty Python film for 2017. Like Python, the comedy doesn’t always work but don’t worry; there will be something new and hilarious right around the corner.    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 Little Hours Website

The film is playing in Atlanta exclusively at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

"The Journey"

"The Journey" Movie Review

"The Journey"

Posted on July 7, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

The Journey (2016)

For forty years Northern Ireland suffered under ‘The Troubles,’ the conflict between Protestants and the Catholics. The Protestants support England’s rule of Northern Ireland, and the Catholics feel that they should be independent. The conflict has caused thousands of deaths, with people not knowing when or if a bomb in a public place is going to go off.

In 2006, longtime leader of the Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley (Timothy Spall) and Sinn Fein politician and former IRA leader, Martin McGuinness (Colm Meaney) are meeting in Scotland with the help of Prime Minister Tony Blair (Toby Stephens) and longstanding negotiator Harry Patterson (John Hurt). The hope is to broker a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, but the problem is the two men are mortal enemies, and for the peace to last, they would have to share power. This agreement is unlikely as both men have vowed to “never surrender” and have at no time spoken to each other.

We see a heavily guarded mansion in the countryside of Scotland. Prime Minister Blair is talking to Harry about a wedding anniversary gift to give to Ian Paisley. Harry asks if Blair ‘has the hand of history on your shoulder?’ and Blair replies ‘more like around my throat.’ Harry tells the Prime Minister that this is the first time in 30 years that he feels there is a chance for peace. They discuss that Paisley is to leave tonight for Belfast to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary and how it could be useful for the peace negotiations.

We cut to Ian Paisley’s quarters, where he is slowly and deliberately getting dressed. It’s apparent that this is a daily ritual, done mostly in silence, as an assistant ties Ian’s shoes as he reads the Bible. In contrast, we cut to Martin McGuinness’s room, where the TV is blaring, and he is sprawled out on the bed talking to a friend. Gerry Adams (Ian Beattle), the 2nd in command negotiator, enters the room and goes over to turn up the TV. McGuinness ends the call, and the two whisper into each other’s ears as the TV news dominates the sound of the room not allowing us to hear what is being said. These men, Paisley and McGuinness, are very different with powerful beliefs, but they are about to go on a long car ride together. A journey that will force them to try to understand each other, finding common ground, making compromises along the way, to broker a deal that means so much for Northern Ireland and its people.

I love how this movie through flashbacks of actual footage gives us background on how the conflict in Northern Ireland started and who the principals were. This was a peace plan that was long in coming and now is taken for granted. Director Nick Hamm gives us a fictional account (though based on actual events) on how two men from seemingly impossible odds; put away their profound felt differences to broker peace that seemed so far from their grasp. Hamm uses the ride to let us get to know the two men and how deeply held their beliefs were. While feeling forced at times (an accident to the car causing the men to get out and walk to a church seems contrived), the conversations start to grow as the two men begin to understand that this is their chance to make history. The banter, written by Colin Bateman, uses humor (most of which is very subtle and dry) to give us insight into the two men, giving us a character study into what drives them.

Both Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney give exceptional and stellar performances. Meaney has to work hard in his performance as his character is the one trying to break through the icy exterior of Spall’s character, trying everything from jokes to stories to get to the man. Meaney shows range as his character goes from humor to anger, sometimes in almost the same sentence. Spall gives his usual exemplary performance as the man who wants nothing to do with his Catholic opposition. Spall takes up space in the car like the elephant in the room, looming over everything. Spall’s character is prone to spewing out scriptures while rarely if ever looking at his opposition. It’s a performance that is full of fire and brimstone, with you just waiting for Spall to irrupt.

While the film stalls at bit at times, the performances of Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall bring home just how hard it is to make a lasting peace, but it’s understanding the other side that makes it possible. The Journey is a film that you will want to come aboard and go on.    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 in Atlanta exclusively at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema