"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

"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

"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