"The Hero"

"The Hero" ATLFF Movie Review

"The Hero"

Posted on April 6, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

The Hero ATLFF Movie Review

Film is reviewed from the 2017 Atlanta Film Festival screening.

We first see Lee Hayden (Sam Elliott) inside a recording studio. He is saying the identical tag line about a barbecue sauce several times into a microphone. Someone in the booth keeps telling Lee to say the line again, even though they all sound exactly the same. Lee has an iconic voice, and you can see why he might be in demand to taglines on commercials.

We next see Lee in a doctor’s office nervously waiting for the doctor to appear. When the doctor finally enters the room and tells Lee that it’s not the result that they wanted. We cut to Lee in his car; he daydreams about a movie he wants to make. It’s a western and Lee is walking across a field; he walks up to what must be a tree, as we see the boots of a man that has obviously been hanged, as the legs sway a little from the help from the wind. We cut back to the car, and Lee calls his agent. He’s told the only thing available is a lifetime achievement award from some sort of western film society.

We next see Lee looking at his phone on treatments for his type of cancer, and it’s not good. He searches for his pot and only finds empty baggies. We next see him pound on the door of his neighbor. His pot dealer and good friend Jeremy (Nick Offerman) opens the door, perturbed because Lee knocked like a cop would. It’s obvious from the patter back and forth that these two friends have known each other for a long time. Lee asks for an ounce, to which Jeremy proclaims is too much that it will clean him out. Lee and Jeremy settle in to watch a Buster Keaton silent film and smoke some pot. Jeremy can tell that Lee has some news and presses his friend for the scoop. Lee hesitates and then tells the lie that he is going to make a western.

We cut to much later in the day, and it’s obvious that Lee and Jeremy have spent the afternoon smoking and eating. Jeremy is passed out on the couch, and Lee is looking at Jeremy’s laptop when someone knocks at the door. Lee wakes Jeremy up to answer the door. A woman is let in and introduces herself as Charlotte (Laura Prepon), as Jeremy goes into the next room to get some sort of drug for her. Charlotte recognizes Lee but can’t quite figure out who he is. As Lee is also sizing up Charlotte, we realize that these two just might be interested in each other. It’s a meeting that is going to change both of their lives.

I loved this film, having seen it at both the SXSW Film Festival and the Atlanta Film Festival. Sam Elliott is masterful as the actor who is known for one iconic film, a western called The Hero that was made over forty years ago. It’s a role that was tailor-made for Elliott, and he gets every bit he can out of it. Appearing in every scene, Elliott gives what is surely his finest performance of a world-weary man who is near the end of his life, a life that is full of regrets and missed opportunities. I have always been a big fan of Elliot since his brilliant breakthrough performance in the title role of Lifeguard (1976). Elliott has continually struck me as a natural actor, one who gives a slightly laid-back but nuanced performance that is a lot harder to pull off than it looks.

Elliot’s performance is bolstered by an outstanding supporting cast. Nick Offerman is incredibly funny as Lee’s drug dealer, a washed-out actor who would rather sit around the house and watch old movies while smoking pot, rather than actually getting any job. Some of the best scenes from the film are between Elliot and Offerman. There is a genuinely moving scene where Offerman reads lines with Elliott, and his character is blown away by the performance of Lee. The heart of the movie is the budding relationship between Elliot’s Lee and Prepon’s Charlotte. Prepon plays a stand-up comic that loves poetry and isn’t afraid to say what she thinks. While, yes there is a huge age gap (it’s revealed that Charlotte is at least older than Lee’s daughter), the film never hides from the subject, as it becomes not only talking points in the relationship but also a part of Charlotte’s stand-up act. There is some excellent chemistry between Prepon and Elliott, with a great give and go in their conversations. Elliott gives Lee a bit of humor in his dealings with Prepon’s character, and she gives it right back. Kristen Ritter, as Lee’s bitter daughter and Katherine Ross (Sam Elliott’s real-life wife), both give small but needed performances for us to get to know the pain that Lee has given them throughout their lives.

Co-writer/director Brett Haley, as he did with the last years touching I’ll See You in My Dreams starring Blythe Danner, gives Sam Elliott a movie in The Hero he can be proud to be headlining a film that is moving, funny and full of life. Heck, I would see that western that Lee wanted to make just to see Elliott star in another movie.    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

For more information on ATLFF go to www.atlantafilmfestival.com

"Colossal"

"Colossal" SXSW Movie Review

"Colossal"

Post on Mar. 20, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Colossal SXSW Film Review

 

A young girl along with her mother are looking for a lost doll in a Seoul park. She searches while her mother keeps trying to get her to give up her quest. She finally spots the doll and goes over to retrieve it. Just as she clutches the doll to her chest, a cracking sound comes from the sky, and the child looks up in terror at the sky.

We cut to present-day New York City, where Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is clumsily letting herself into an apartment. She drunkenly stumbles down the hallway, to be confronted by Tim (Dan Stevens), her boyfriend of the past year. He is eating breakfast in the kitchen as Gloria makes up a story that she was waylaid by a friend and ended up sleeping at her apartment. Tim angrily reacts to the apparently made-up story and tells Gloria that he has had enough. He has packed her bags and does not want to see her in the apartment when he gets back from work. Tim leaves, and Gloria is shell-shocked and just sits there. A quick knock at the front door and then a steady stream of partygoers let themselves into the apartment, and it’s apparent this morning-after party is something that has happened in the past. Gloria remains where she is staring off into space, not sure what her next move is.

We cut to a small-town neighborhood, and a cab drives to a pleasant looking house. Gloria gets out and gathers her bags to make her way to the house. She looks under the welcome mat and gets the keys to the house. Once inside, it’s obvious that the house has not been in use for a while with dust on the floors and absolutely every speck of furniture is gone. Gloria looks around and sighs. She wakes up the next morning and reacts to her stiff neck, a result of sleeping on the floor.

We next see Gloria coming out of a small-town store, having bought a rather large item that she carries in a bag over her shoulder. As she walks down the street heading toward her house, an old pickup truck passes her, and then suddenly stops. It backs up and out pops Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), a childhood friend of Gloria’s. They quickly catch up, and he offers to give her a ride. It turns out Oscar is now running his late father’s bar and offers to take Gloria there. Never one to turn down a free drink or two, Gloria says yes. It’s a ride that will change her life forever.

Writer/director Nacho Vigalondo brings us an unusual tale of part Science Fiction and part domestic abuse film, with a splash of alcoholism thrown in. It’s strange mix with giant monsters appearing straight from those bad 60’s Japanese larger than life reptile movies. At first used for comic effect and then later as symbolism between the struggle between good and evil, the monsters appear half way across the world, in Seoul, South Korea. It’s a world that is foreign to Gloria, seemly so far away that what she does can’t possibly affect what happens in that part of the world. And that’s Vigalondo’s point, that we live in a global community, no one or no country is isolated from another, we are all connected.

Aside from a few small supporting roles, this film revolves around the relationship between Oscar and Gloria. When we first meet Oscar, he seems in awe of Gloria, someone who has gotten out of the neighborhood and made something of themselves. Oscar, being saddled with his Dad’s old bar, had tried to make it his own, remodeling half of it, before he ran out of money. It’s important to note that Oscar has cordoned off the old portion of the bar, hidden by a false wall and it’s not until Gloria enters the picture that he is willing and able to open up the older half of the bar.

Hathaway is asked to carry this film, and at first, it’s rather easy, for Gloria is an alcoholic, who can stay up and drink with the boys until the sun comes up. The biggest problem with Colossal is that Hathaway’s character is very one dimensional. We never really know why Gloria drinks so much, never actually finding out what demons that she is trying to get away from. Hathaway is what I call a pretty drunk, someone we can laugh at, and not be too concerned with because, other than a boyfriend that drops her, her drinking never seems to really get her in trouble. Her realization that her being intoxicated could cause other people pain seems shallow and too simply realized.

Jason Sudeikis has a much meatier part. At first, Oscar seems too nice to a fault, going out of his way to help Gloria get back on her feet, and yes, he realizes that she is not doing as well as she says she is when they first meet. We soon see some signs that maybe Oscar may not be quite as decent at heart as we hoped. It’s a complex role, and Sudeikis does a good job keeping us guessing just what his motivations are. There seems to be a bit of menace that Sudeikis lets near the surface early on in the film, and it always seems to be lurking in the dark, waiting to come out.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this film, but I just don’t think there is as much to it as Nacho Vigalondo wants us to believe that there is. Much like the Japanese monsters, the film is pretty much what you see on the surface; there’s not a lot of substance lying beneath the water.  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

For more of Mike’s reviews and interviews click here

"The Big Sick"

"The Big Sick" SXSW Movie Review

"The Big Sick"

Posted on Mar. 18, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

The Big Sick SXSW Movie Review

Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) is a stand-up comedian in Chicago. He regularly works at a local, small time comedy club, performing his routine in front of audiences on a nightly basis. His hope, like his fellow comedians at the club, is to make a living doing this, with the goal of maybe moving to New York or L.A. to further his career. He and the other comedians in the club are always on the lookout for talent scouts from the talk shows or the big comedy festivals. Until he makes it big, Kumail supplements his incoming by being a Uber driver.

He goes over to his parent’s house for a weekly dinner. His parents aren’t happy that he is trying to be a comedian instead of something respectable like being a doctor or lawyer. His mother wants Kumail to meet a nice Pakistani woman and is constantly inviting one woman after another to these family dinners. His parents feel that it’s his duty to his family to get married to a Muslim woman and start a traditional Pakistani family. His parents are always holding Kumail’s brother over his head, as he is married to a Pakistani woman.

Kumail gets the heads up that a talent scout for the Montreal Comedy Festival is looking for new talent and will be at the show tonight. As he is doing his standup act, a young woman (Zoe Kazan) reply’s to one of his lines with a “Woo!” He proceeds to call her out, giving her a lesson in how to heckle, explaining that “Heckling doesn’t have to be a negative.” When she makes a witty reply, keeping up with Kumail’s wit, he is intrigued. He later sees the woman at the bar and goes over to ask her name. After he tries to impress her by writing her name, Emily, in Urdu, she gives him a hard time over his pickup technique. Little do these two know that this is the start of an incredible romance and that this relationship will force Kumail to make some hard life choices.

Based on his life, writer/star Kumail Nanjiani and his wife in real life Emily V. Gordon, along with director Michael Showalter, have brought us a brilliant film that is one part romantic comedy and one part serious drama. Front and center to this movie is the comedy of Nanjiani, and it’s in full force. Using his usual “man-child” approach that is a staple in his standup, the movie revolves around Nanjiani’s struggle to juggle his family expectations to follow the Pakistani way of life (especially with dealing with the opposite sex) with the fact that he has been living in the U.S. for most of his life. He is always being exposed to a totally different world than the one of his parents, and that constant clash is one of the central themes of the movie. The film covers a broad range of subjects from racial profiling, 9/11, dating in the Internet age, the hard life of a comic and putting your needs above your family and its traditions.

The cast makes this film so enjoyable to watch. Nanjiani and Kazan are incredibly on the screen together, playing off one another with an ease that makes us root for the couple from the start. Kazan shows great comic timing, and it’s a credit that she can quip with Nanjiani on an equal basis. Of the rest of the cast, the big standouts to me were Holly Hunter and Ray Romano, who play Emily’s supportive to a fault parents. Hunter plays a force of nature mom who is hyper protective of her daughter. Romano’s character is more bluff than substance, and Kumail sees him as a way to get into good favor with Emily’s mom. Hunter chews a bit of scenery from time to time, but it fits the character she is playing, so it works in the film.

The film doesn’t feel it’s 2-hour length, mostly because the laughs keep coming. There are a few behind the scenes at the comedy club that could have been cut, but even then I didn’t mind them because there was usually a joke or two told, mostly at the expense of one of the fellow comics. There are some serious moments in this film, and they are dealt with a loving touch, though always humor is just around the corner waiting until it’s time to break the tension.

The Big Sick is one of those great date films, one that has something for everyone. And you just might have to go a second time, because you will be laughing so hard, you won’t hear the next line and believe me, it’s worth it.    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

For more of Mike’s reviews and interviews click here

"Barracuda"

"Barracuda" SXSW Movie Review

"Barracuda"

Posted on Mar. 17, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Barracuda SXSW Movie Review

Film is reviewed from the 2017 SXSW Film Festival screening

When first see Sinaloa (Sophie Reid), a young woman with long, black hair, she is taking a midnight swim. We next see her moving around next to a bed in a home by a lake, a naked unmoving sleeping body rests as Sinaloa moves around the room. We see her gather what looks to be all of her possessions and stuff them into a backpack. We see her as she backpacks across the countryside, sometimes walking, sometimes hitching a ride on a car, truck or cargo train. She seems comfortable doing this as if it’s something she has done for what seems like her whole life.

Sinaloa ends up in Austin and heads straight for a local cemetery, where she finds a grave with a headstone. She pulls incense out of her bag and places it in front of the headstone, which we can’t see fully. She then pulls out a pint of whiskey, taking a sip before pouring the rest overthe grave. Soon we see her walking in one of those quirky neighborhoods that Austin is known for, houses that have been lovingly restored by the people living in them. It’s a nice neighborhood full of families, that while they don’t make a ton of money, still are doing pretty well. She stops at one of the nice looking house, knocks on the front door and looks through windows when no one answers. Resigned to the fact that no one is home, she plants herself on the porch swing, seemingly determined to wait there until someone comes home.

It’s night when we see a car pull into the driveway as Sinaloa waits on the porch in the dark. We hear happy voices talking as a family approaches the porch, obviously having been on some outing. Merle (Allison Tolman) turns on the porch light, looking for her keys to open the front door when Sinaloa makes her presence known. Merle is taken aback as her finance, Raul (Luis Bordonada) and his son appear on the porch. Sinaloa asks if Merle is the daughter of Wayne Klein, a famous deceased singer/songwriter. When Merle tells her yes she is, Sinaloa introduces herself as her long lost half-sister, the product of the late singer spending some time in England.

Reluctantly Merle and her family let Sinaloa into their home. Once inside she insists to Merle that she isn’t there for anything. That she already knows that she wasn’t written into the will. All Sinaloa wanted was just to meet her half-sister, and maybe get a singing gig or two in Austin. At the insistence of Raul, Merle asks Sinaloa to spend the night, offering to take her to town the next day. This encounter, between two sisters who never knew each other before, is going to have significant consequences for both of their lives.

Directors Jason Cortlund and Julia Halperin (from a script by Cortland) bring us a remarkable tale of two strangers who are bound by blood trying to figure out their relationship, a relationship that neither of them knew they needed. The two sisters had very different childhoods. Merle was the recognized daughter of this songwriter legend, her place in the family firmly situated, so much so that she has inherited the family ranch, which is the house she now lives in. Just the opposite is Sinaloa, a troubled daughter from a long forgotten waitress in a Brighton bar, the result of her father’s need for isolation to write songs. While Merle inherited the property of her late father, Sinaloa inherited the talent, someone who can sing and write songs that people will pay attention to.

I have loved Allison Tolman, who plays Merle, since her breakout role in the first season of Fargo. In Barracuda, Tolman gives a powerful performance of a woman who has become tired of living in the spotlight of her father, the fans constantly showing up at her house or her father’s grave. When we first meet Merle, she seems to have everything under control, but due to Sinaloa’s presence, we soon learn that Merle’s world isn’t as perfect as she wants or hopes it to be. Tolman quietly gives a multi-layered performance that slowly peels back the coating over time and lets us see that Merle is as much damaged by her childhood as Sinaloa is. Under a lesser actress, the part could have been lost, as Sinaloa’s character has a way to dominate the room, but we are always conscious that Tolman is in each and every scene.

Making her feature-film debut lead in the complex role of Sinaloa is Sophie Reid, a talented musician, and actress whose only other movie credit is Village Lass in this year’s Beauty and the Beast. Reid is given the challenging role making someone who is hard and jaded likable, but she carries it off by giving Sinaloa a hint of vulnerability. Reid has a beautiful, soulful voice and the film utilizes it to the maximum effect. It’s a powerful performance, one full of danger and intrigue, which gives Reid command of the screen in everything she is in. I am excited to see more of this talented actress in performances down the line.

Barracuda captures the Austin scene beautifully and lets this intriguing story of lost sisters trying to slowly reconnect with a sudden and jarring conclusion. Barracuda is a film that grips you from the start and won’t let go long after the movie on the screen is finished.    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

For more of Mike’s interviews and reviews click here

For more information on the SXSW Film Festival go to www.sxsw.com

"Small Town Crime"

"Small Town Crime" SXSW Movie Review

"Small Town Crime"

Posted on Mar. 15, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Small Town Crime SXSW Movie Review

Film is reviewed from the 2017 SXSW Film Festival screening

We see that we are in a nice neighborhood, with the exception of one house, where a muscle car is sitting on the front lawn, having crashed through a picket fence. The garbage door opens, and we see ex-cop Mike Kendall (John Hawkes) in a t-shirt and jeans. He looks at his car briefly, knowing that he was the one who crashed the car in the first place. We watch as Mike benches more and more weight, while also drinking a beer or three.

We see Mike getting ready for what we think is work, as he puts on a dress shirt and tie. He gets a phone call, and it’s bad news, it’s unlikely that they will reinstate Mike to the police force. He hangs up, and curses then heads to his car in the front yard. Mike starts up the car, and it roars to life, making a huge noise. He backs up the car, then peels down the road laying tire marks and making a lot of noise as his neighbors react angrily to the display of muscle car power.

We see Mike go to several job interviews, failing badly in all of them. There is hope at one interview, some sort of office setting. The hiring manager seems to be inclined to hire Mike, that is until Mike warns her that he isn’t much good till noon, due to the amount of daily drinking that he does. We see Mike happily picking up his unemployment check, having a present exchange with the government worker and we can tell this dance has been going on for quite a while.

Mike heads to his local watering hole, where everyone greets him by his name. The place is jumping, and Mike is right at home in this element. Later we see Mike and another man (Anthony Anderson) being thrown out of the establishment. By both the bouncers and Mike’s reaction, this is something that happens on a regular basis. Both men are drunk but Mike’s friend tries to talk Mike into riding with him with an offer for Mike to crash at his house. Mike declines the offer and takes off in his muscle car, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. We see Mike buy a six-pack and then head down the road. While driving Mike flashes back a year or so to a shooting that he was involved in, one that caused his partner to die from. We next see that it’s morning and Mike wakes up in the middle of a field, with his car have been abandoned several hundred yards from where Mike is laying. He gets up, finds his car and heads back for the road. Mike is moving down the isolation road when he suddenly notices something that is in a ditch by the side of the road. He stops and discovers a bloody and battered woman, who is barely alive. Mike drives her to the nearest hospital and waits for the detectives to show up. At that moment Mike has decided to try and find out what happened to this girl, no matter who or what gets in his way.

This is an old fashioned hard drinking murder mystery from writer/directors Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms. Small Town Crime is the kind of story that the hero isn’t above breaking a few laws to solve the case. Part dark comedy, part private eye film, it’s a look into the sleazy life of the world of dive bars, boozy patrons and prostitution with a little bit of backstabbing thrown in for fun. It’s a trip you will want to take because of John Hawkes. Hawkes is one of those rare actors that as soon as he appears on the screen, we are already rooting for his character, no matter how many flaws his character has. Hawkes is a gifted actor that can do low key comedy, then shift to high-stakes drama with ease. The hard drinking, guilt-ridden unemployed former cop Mike is the perfect sad-sack character for Hawkes to play and he seems to relish every moment on screen in this part.

The supporting cast is exceptionally strong, though I have no idea why Octavia Spencer, playing Mike’s adopted sister, is being used in almost a throwaway role. It’s as if Spencer has decided to do what Michael Caine did in the 80’s and be in every film made in this decade. Anthony Anderson is an excellent addition as the sometimes drinking partner of Mike’s that just happens to be married to Spencer’s character. Anderson is a good comedic sounding board for Hawkes’ character and their scenes together are some of the best of the film. Anytime you have a P.I. film and you can get Robert Forster in it; you know your film will just be that much better. Forster plays the grandfather of the woman that Mike finds. Forster’s character hires Mike to find who hurt his granddaughter, with the understanding that Mike should use any means necessary to make that person pay for hurting his family. Michael Vartan plays a detective that is willing to let Mike have a little leeway in the investigation, much more than most of the force that is giving Mike the evil eye. I especially enjoyed the performance of Clifton Collins, Jr. who plays a purple Impala driving pimp with the name of Mood, who decides to help Mike because it’s his girls that are being attacked. Each character is well-defined, unique and perfectly match Mike’s way of life.

This is a film that someone like old pulp fiction writer Mickey Spillane or even any character that the Coen brothers have created would be happy to be in. It’s a world of booze, dead bodies, and bad intentions; thank God we have John Hawkes to lead us through it!    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

For more of Mike’s reviews and interviews here

For more information on the SXSW Film Festival go to www.sxsw.com

"Win it All"

"Win it All" SXSW Movie Review

"Win it All"

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

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Win It All SXSW Movie Review

We first see Eddie (Jake Johnson) working the streets of Chicago as one of those flag guys that tries to get you to park in his parking lot. We see him get paid some cash by the lead worker and then Eddie heads to a neighborhood. There he goes down a back ally and nods to a guy hanging out by the back door. Eddie heads in, and we realize that this is an illegal gambling establishment. It’s obvious that this is a second home for Eddie, that this is his element. We see him play various games while drinking the night away.

It is very evident that while Eddie thinks he is good a gambling, he is pretty bad. We can tell that by the end of the night, he has blown the money he just got paid for. He leaves the gambling establishment just as the sun is coming up. This is a routine that Eddie is used to, including the losing. Eddie knows he is a loser, you can see it in his body language as he heads home on the train. Waking up just before his stop he wearily heads down to his neighborhood. He goes into a local shop and tells the exasperated store owner that he is a little short and will pay him for the coffee and sandwich at the end of the week.

Eddie opens his apartment only to find a local gangster sitting at his breakfast table. Eddie is instantly worried that the gangster is there to collect an old debt, but instead, he has a proposition for Eddie. The gangster is about to serve 6 to 9 months in prison. If Eddie holds onto a duffle bag of the mobster, he will give Eddie 10,000 dollars as soon as the gangster gets out. His only conditions; Eddie does not look into the bag and does not tell anyone about it. Eddie decides that this is easy money and he agrees to keep the bag hidden. Eddie being Eddie, it’s doubtful that he can keep his curiosity from looking into the bag and we all know what happened to the cat that was curious.

This is how the latest movie starts from the team that brought us the excellent Drinking Buddies (2013), Joe Swanberg and Jake Johnson. After whiffing on the too dark film Digging for Fire (2016), Johnson and Swanberg are back in the romantic comedy business, and it’s right where they belong. The dialogue is sharp, quick and flowing, with the interaction of the characters is real and believable. There is an almost improvisation feel to the interaction between characters, with some of the best scenes of the film filled with the characters just interacting as their lives go on. The script does a great job of making the sad sack Eddie seem lovable; we want him to turn his life around and succeed. We just wonder if he is too stubborn to finally admit that he needs to change.

The heart of the film is the relationships that Eddie has in his life. He has a brother, Ron (Joe Lo Truglio), a family man who adores his brother but has been burned too many times by Eddie. Ron would love nothing more than for his brother to come to work at the family landscaping business. Eddie, like everything in his life, doesn’t want to put in the hard work, he wants the easy score to make a living, and always thinks the next big one is right around the corner. Eddie also has a long-term relationship with his on again/off again gamblers anonymous sponsor (Keegan-Michael Key). The sponsor has also been burned by Eddie, so much so, that he is more amused by Eddie’s troubles than worried about them. Lastly, Eddie has started a relationship with a nurse named Eve (Aislinn Derbez), who he meets by chance at Eddie’s local dive bar. For the first time in his life, Eddie realizes that this is the woman that he could change for; the big question is, will he have the strength and fortitude to follow through?

I loved the performances in this film. Keegan-Michael Key is so much fun to watch as the put-upon counselor. Johnson and Key play off each other with great comedic ease. There are some real “brother-like” chemistry between Johnson and Truglio. You can feel the love the two characters have for each other on the screen, right along with his brother you are rooting for Eddie to clean up his act. There are some nice romantic sparks between Johnson and his love interest, played by the great Mexican actress, Aisling Derbez. Johnson allows us to see that Eddie knows that this woman is special and he can’t mess this relationship up. Derbez is a delight to watch interact with Johnson as their characters go from flirtatious feelings to the knowledge that something serious could be happening between the two of them.

While most of the film is light-hearted, this is a dark undercurrent of how gambling can affect not only the lives of the gamblers, but also their family and friends. The film treats gambling for the disease that it is, though a lot of the comedic elements come from the same source. Johnson and Swanberg do a great job of not letting the comedic elements get too out of control, as well as not allowing the seriousness of gambling addiction to dominate the cinematic experience.

Win it All is a film that while the main character usually draws a bad hand, you get a winning feature that is both funny and moving to watch.    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

"Prevenge"

"Prevenge" SXSW Movie Review

"Prevenge"

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

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Prevenge SXSW Movie Review

The film is being reviewed from the 2017 SXSW film festival.

We see Ruth (Alice Lowe) sitting on a bench with a stunned look on her face. Rock climbing equipment is lined up behind her. As she sits on the bench, we cut to a shoreline with waves crashing against the rocks. We get glimpses of blood and brain matter on the rocks, a climbing rope that has been cut and left dangling against the side of a cliff and Ruth sitting alone, not saying a word.

We cut to Ruth taking public transportation downtown, looking about 4 to 5 months pregnant. She is dressed the way a businesswoman does, professionally and put together. We see her enter an exotic reptile and insects store. She is greeted by the store owner for her tour of what’s for sale. She tells him that she wants to buy her eight-year-old son a “special birthday” gift. Everything that the owner says, while on the surface seems innocent, there is also a layer of sleaze that undercuts the situation. He is defiantly hitting on Ruth, even though she is very pregnant. Ruth seems no to notice, more interested in the animals in the terrariums. When she tells him that she wants to get her son something special, the owner offers to show her his private collection. They head to the back of the shop, and behind a curtain, they go. The owner bends down to retrieve a creature from a cage in the private storage area. When Ruth asks if the creature is dangerous, the owner says “definitely” with a sense of glee in his voice. Just at that moment, Ruth takes a knife and slices the owner’s neck open with one quick movement. The man quickly bleeds out in front of Ruth. Ruth stares at the man, tells him he is disgusting and then bends down and kisses the man on the forehead.

As she walks out of the store, we hear a small child talking, telling Ruth how disgusting the man was. It is very evident from this first exchange that the voice is coming from the baby in her womb and this baby is in charge of telling his mother what to do and when. This mother/daughter bond is going to be a strange and puzzling path to childbirth.

Writer/director and lead actress Alice Lowe brings us a remarkable film that is one part black comedy and one part social commentary on how we perceive the modern views of how a mother is supposed to feel about her unborn child during pregnancy. Lowe has a remarkable ear for dialogue, and her delivery is even better, with great comedic timing. My favorite scenes were between Ruth and her doctor (Jo Hartley).The doctor is talks nonsense each time she sees Ruth, the kind of trivial, banal talk that most mothers would eat up. Ruth has a real problem that the child she has inside of her hates everyone and wants Ruth to kill them. The clueless doctor never figures out how messed up Ruth is, putting all her emotional outbursts on the flighty experiences of a pregnant mother. The scenes play out with great comedic effect and Lowe has the great ability to turn a small line into something magical.

The movie also deals with how society perceives and treats women who are pregnant. Ruth encounters in an interview for a job, a cold professional businesswoman (Kate Dickie). The businesswoman, seeing that Ruth is pregnant, automatically dismisses her saying “just when you learn where the staplers are, you will go on maternity leave.” As the woman struggles to remain “PC” and not come straight out saying she won’t hire Ruth because she is pregnant, we know that this is just playing into the unborn child’s hands. As she drones on the businesswoman has no clue that she just about cuts her own throat in the scene.

We are used to seeing the happy, at one with child, pregnant mother. With Ruth, we get a woman who is lost and can’t get ahold of the situation. She worries that someone will find out that the baby talks to her and will take her away. At the same time, Ruth also worries what life will be like once the baby is born, will she still control Ruth? Alice Lowe has brought us a remarkable piece of filmmaking that makes you laugh at the absurd situations but also wonder if we take the glowing pregnant woman for granted. My guess is we do.    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

For more of Mike’s reviews and interviews here

"My Blind Brother"

My SXSW Movie Review of "My Blind Brother"

"My Blind Brother"

Posted on 3/25/2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Orion Pictures

“My Blind Brother “ (2016)

Film is reviewed from the 2016 SXSW Film Festival screening.

When we first meet Bill (Nick Kroll), he is running in a marathon. He is struggling a bit, unlike his blind brother Robbie (Adam Scott), who Bill is tethered to. Robbie makes everything look easy, having an almost rock star feel about him as he deals easily with family, friends, fans and the media. Robbie is somewhat a media star, competing in athletic events to raise money for his foundation, never missing an opportunity to be interviewed by the local TV stations. Bill, on the other hand, finds himself always in the background, never getting the attention or acknowledgment, even though he is right there by his brother’s side. It seems that Bill is responsible for Robbie’s blindness, having tricked his brother into diving into the shallow end of the pool.

Bill decides to head to the local bar to forget how much a loser he is compared to his brother, and there he meets Rose (Jenny Slate), a young woman who has just lost her boyfriend to an accident and is participating in his wake at the bar. Jenny confides in Bill that she is responsible for her boyfriend’s death, as she had just broken up with him, upsetting him, and, therefore, he didn’t pay attention to where he was going and was hit by a bus. Rose mentions that she should be doing something selfless, like working with the less fortunate, if just for karma’s sake. Commiserating in their sad lives, they hit it off and eventually end up sleeping together. The next morning, Rose is hit with guilt over her dead boyfriend and makes a hasty exit from Bill’s apartment. Bill, not knowing much about Rose, thinks he will never see her again.

Bill meets up with Robbie, all set to start training for a swim across a local lake when Robbie tells Bill that he doesn’t have to train with him anymore. Robbie announces he has a new guide, a volunteer. His new guide just happens to be Rose.  Now will Bill stand idly by as Robbie works his charms on Rose or will he fight back against his brother and not let his guilt take over?

I loved this film, mostly due to the witty writing and the winning performances of Nick Kroll and Jenny Slate. The humor in this movie can be a little cutting, mostly at the expense of Robbie, but that’s OK because he is a selfish jerk who steps all over his brother, especially if it means that he can be in the spotlight. Sophie Goodhart, who wrote and directed “My Blind Brother” has a real feel for dialogue and the banter back and forth between Bill and Rose seems real and is hilarious. Some of the funniest scenes are between Rose and Bill, with Robbie in their presence, oblivious to what is going on.

The cast is brilliant in this film. Adam Scott is perfect in the role of Robbie, who never met a microphone he didn’t like, lapping up all the attention of his fans and family. Scott plays Robbie as if he is entitled to every perk because he feels he deserves it because he is blind. Zoe Kazan, as the hapless friend of Rose, who is there for support and sometimes bad advice, is terrific and plays off of Slate’s Rose nicely. Nick Kroll is a counterbalance to Adam Scott’s Robbie. Kroll plays Bill as a sad sack kind of person who lets his brother walk all over him, even if it means that his brother gets the girl he is in love with. Kroll has excellent comic timing and meshes fully with both Scott and Slate. He has great chemistry with Slate, making their attraction seem genuine. Jenny Slate is the real star of this film, and she plays the kooky, messed up girl with a sweetness that will make you just fall in love with her from the start.

“My Blind Brother” is a fun ride that will have you laughing from the start and maybe squirming in your seat a few times. It’s not your ordinary romantic comedy, with real characters and a sense of humor that is a little biting. It’s a world you would love to be a part of; we just hope that somehow, someway Rose and Bill will figure out a way that they can end up together.   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

"Operator"

My SXSW Movie Review of "Operator"

"Operator"

Posted on March 23,2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of The Orchard

Film is reviewed from the 2016 SXSW Film Festival screening.

'Operator'  (2016)

Joe (Martin Starr) and Emily (Mae Whitman) are two very different people who balance each other in their marriage. Joe is an engineer for a software company and sees things very black or white. His world is very analytically and data filled; he makes decisions based solely on the cold, hard facts. Joe is also all about regimen and keeping schedules and routines. He takes a 37-minute run every day, always turning around at the halfway point, a jetty that looks out over the water.

Emily is more a people person. In fact, she is amazing in her job as a hotel concierge. She can instantly put a customer at ease with her ability to find the problem and solve it as quickly as possible. She is also able to get the customer to instantly know that she is on their side and will do everything that she can to make it right. Where Joe has problems relating to people, Emily is someone who enjoys interacting with people. Emily doesn’t want to be a concierge for long, as she has just joined a comedy troupe who perform 30 plays in 60 minutes. Somehow they make their marriage work, each playing off the other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Joe works for a company that is developing software/apps for a healthcare system called Welltrix. The product testing of the app is not going well, as callers are getting mad at the app’s personality, making them feel that the company doesn’t care about their well-being. Joe is given a week to come up with a better app, one that reflects the personality of someone who cares. Joe recalls how skillfully Emily does with frustrated customers and volunteers his wife to be voice and personality of the newly designed app. Emily agrees to it when Joe tells her if the app gets the go ahead, she will be compensated, well enough that she could quit her day job at the hotel. It’s a decision that they will soon regret as their marriage will be tested.

“Operator” is a film about trying to keep a relationship going strong in this day and age of electronic devices dominating our attention, multiple jobs and two very distinct personalities who don’t always mesh. This is a story about two people who are very different in their views of the world, but somehow find the time and the patience to listen and understand each other.

The on-screen chemistry between the two leads makes this film work so well. Mae Whitman gives an outstanding performance as the young woman who wants more than anything to be a performer. When her character is performing on stage with her comedy troupe, we see just how gifted she is as a comedic actress, but she is equally brilliant in her most vulnerable and tender scenes with Martin Starr, showing us how complicated her character is.

Martin Starr holds his own with Whitman, though because of his character’s personality, his performance is much more restrained. Starr has always specialized in playing strange characters in films, but this performance is probably one of his best, bringing depth and emotion to a character that has trouble letting his emotions get to the surface. We see the love and determination in his face as his character has to overcome his own shortcomings in order to keep his marriage going.

Nat Faxon as the needy boss of Joe, Christine Lahti, as Joe’s mom, and Cameron Esposito, as a pushy, opinionated cast member in Emily’s comedy troupe, all contribute significantly to the story line, making the film feel rich in character development and give it a great back story.

Sharon Greene and Logan Kibens (who also directed the film) have written a script that is highly inventive and a joy to watch, giving us real characters to follow and explore. The writers make us care about Emily and Joe, giving us a reason to root so hard for their success.

“Operator” is a film that has a lot to say about relationships and how technology can get in the way of two people trying to connect. It’s a movie that will make you put down that smart phone and spend some time with Joe and Emily as they find their way together in this busy and distracting world.     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