Leaving "formulaic" far, far behind...
Over (2015)
“Over” is the distinctly unorthodox dramatic recounting of a mysterious and unsettling actual event from the recent past which occurred in West London. Deftly directed by Jörn Threlfall and selected for inclusion in this year’s “Sundance Film Festival”, the story unfolds in deliberate fashion through scenes presented in chronologically reverse order. What begins as routine and mundane winds up packing a helluva wallop.
At first I found Threlfall’s technique of using muted and incidental sound to be a bit off-putting. But then gradually I came to realize that it’s all part of the process, and that the overarching intent is to not reveal too much as meticulously momentum builds toward a stunning conclusion and the ensuing exposition.
The setting of a neighborhood block quietly ensconced in an upper class suburb, while seemingly innocuous initially, in time assumes a disquietingly ominous atmosphere as Threlfall purposefully puts the pieces of his provocative puzzle in place.
That’s about us far as I can go without risking an ending spoiled. Except to offer that with his brief chronicle, Threlfall has brilliantly constructed a disturbing account of how far the desperate of our world may go to escape inexorable hopelessness in pursuit of even the remote possibility of a better life. The resounding take away from “Over” for me is that, irrespective of outcome, any lingering traces of discomfort will be washed away. And life goes on.
So let us all eat, drink and be merry.
The One I Love (2014)
Marriage counseling gets slammed by an avalanche of allegory as Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss play a crumbling couple struggling to make nice in "The One I Love".
Director Charlie McDowell seems to be taking us in at least three different directions at various points in this most odd story before finally settling on the road he intends that we go down.
And in the end, well, if you remember the early '70's Stephen Stills hit "Love the One You're With"...it's kinna that type of deal.
Only more like "Love the One You're Left With".
Hits (2014)
"Hits" burrows deeply into the collective underbelly of a seemingly ever-expanding legion of the US population, all of whom crave fame solely for fame's sake above all else in an otherwise mostly morose existence.
Billed as a comedy, it is quite clear that the intention of this unequivocally weird production is not exclusively to leave us laughing. It is to cause us to take pause. Moreover, to stop dead in our tracks. And to reconsider what qualities we may consider when determining if someone we don't actually know apart from a multi-media fashioned façade has earned the unstable status of "hero worship." Truth be told, this is a contingent comprised of nearly no one. Or, at most, scarcely a precious few of those we anoint worthy of the role.
Granted, "Hits" is by and large an exercise in hit-or-miss moments. Still, it is inherently provocative enough to be marginally worth the while. And all the while, you may find yourself concerned for the future of an America becoming alarmingly more self-absorbed as it becomes increasingly less aware of the consequences inherent in such a degenerate mentality.
Inside Out (2015)
As an adult you never quite know how an animated feature movie is gonna strike ya. The good news here is cartoon film giant Pixar's latest offering, "Inside Out", strikes deep at both the funny bone and the heart alike.
All voice talents are at the top of their games here. But it is Amy Poehler as a displaced 11-year-old girl's embodiment of joy who steals this extraordinary show. Her rendering of perhaps our most precious human emotion outside of love may not always be the dominant feeling. Sadness certainly has it's place here. And it is appropriate. But Poehler's spirited sprite certainly emerges as the sentiment most indefatigably undaunted.
And ideally, aren't we all collectively pulling for our own personal sense of joy to ultimately prevail in much the same manner?
Birdman (2014)
Once you catch up with the breakneck pace as frenetically thrust upon us by Academy Award winning Director and Co-Writer Alejandro González Iñárritu, the Oscar champion film "Birdman" becomes an engrossing journey into self introspection and the ongoing search for purpose in one's place amidst the human condition.
And, man, is it ever one helluva weird trip we're swept up into as we follow washed-up former cinematic super hero Riggan Thomson contend with ceaseless challenges, both personal and professional. Michael Keaton is at once very funny and wrenchingly forlorn as Thomson, a guy who is taking one last swing for the fences as the fulcrum of a Broadway play he wrote, directs and stars in. His supporting cast, both on stage and in the film, are uniformly first rate (Edward Norton nearly steals the show as Mike Shiner, an obnoxiously egocentric co-headliner in Thomson's problem-plagued production).
But in "Birdman"'s startling conclusion, we are struck with the notion that far too many of us fail to recognize the special gifts we have to offer others in our lives. Even when they may literally, to turn an apropos phrase, "fly in our face".
Sightseers (2012)
The British version of "Natural Born Killers" with a few pitch black comedic laughs sprinkled in to lighten up the murderous mood. Ah, the twisted mind of Ben Wheatley.
As "Sightseers" ends, one of the psychopathic couple decides that they have had their fill of serial killing and bids a most final adieu to the other. Or will they slack off on the slaying? "Bent Ben" ain't tellin' us. So we are left to come to our own conclusion.
Word to the wise: On your next vacation, don't piss anybody off. Lest ye may beoffed.
The Brown Bunny (2004)
***DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE***
I guaranteeyou won't like it.
"The Brown Bunny" is an abundantly atmospheric slice of life look at a super sensitive biker dude played to the enigmatic hilt by the enigmatic Vincent Gallo, who did literally everything but pop the corn for this clear labor of love.
"Bunny" exudes the stark sense of realism first brought to the screen in those gritty films of the 1970's in the look, feel and "right there in the moment" immediacy of those pioneering predecessors from that groundbreaking era. For example, the sound we hear is almost entirely that generated within the moments we are watching. Outside of the soundtrack pieces, there is no music to cue us how we "should" feel. Gordon Lightfoot's 1972 hit "Beautiful" and a brief but haunting scene of shared suffering featuring '70's Super Model Cheryl Tiegs each serve to drive home Gallo's personal and passionate tribute to a bygone era in movie making.
Gallo's character Bud Clay comes to the devastatingly painful ultimate understanding that, just like the life of the rabbit he considers buying at a pet store mid-story, love is destined to be short-lived, as well. And his heart has been irreparably broken with this realization.
I must add that Netflix tells us in it's synopsis that the character of Bud beds several women on his trans-American van voyage. He actually sleeps with none of the ladies he meets. His emotional destruction, for which the cause is revealed to us in jarringly grim fashion late in the film, has rendered him incapable of such. However, be aware that, while "Bunny" is Unrated, it could just as easily have been rated X. The sex portrayed near the end of the movie is most graphically explicit and hardcore. But it is certainly not sensual nor provocative. And this is not a porn flick.
Far from it.
her (2013)
We are practically enslaved by technology to conduct our lives today. The provocatively offbeat futuristic film "her" challenges us to consider if we would, could, go beyond virtual dependence to actually falling in love with a computer.
On face the notion is preposterous. Folly. Downright silly. But presented as it is by Writer/Director Spike Jonez, it seems damn near plausible. After all, don't we as humans inherently crave, need, emotional connection and nurturing in our lives? No matter the source? And the high caliber performances of a severely feelings-repressed Joaquin Phoenix curiously coupled with the disembodied yet sultry "operating system" voice of Scarlet Johansson (who never physically appears on screen) only serve to solidify the credibility of the far out (and often really creepy) storyline.
But one glaring oddity in "her" shall apparently forever remain a mystery. It is this most confounding question: Why in the hell does everyone wear pants, slacks and skirts fit high and snuggly at the level of their navels? Does Jones have some kind of peculiar fascination with ultra-Ed Grimley-style Sansabelt fashion that we don't know about or what?!
Ellie Parker (2005)
Boy, you had betterlike Naomi Watts. If you're not a big fan, you'll likely want to take a pass on "Ellie Parker". If you appreciate the work of the Australian actress, then you'll probably find this quirky effort a mostly satisfying viewing experience. Watts occupies virtually every second of the over 90 minutes of the movie's screen time.
Playing a struggling young actress navigating the treacherous proving ground that is Los Angeles, Watts investigates a cornucopia of emotions as she strives gamely to handle auditions, boyfriends, family and her own nagging self doubt (hard to imagine an insecure L.A. actress, right?) on a pilgrimage to a place in life she realizes she may well have lost sight of.
Shot entirely on video tape and almost exclusively in super close-ups (and on many occasions with apparently no make up), Watts face and the expressions she generates with it tell a story in themselves. This is certainly a purely beautiful woman. Yet her striking outward appearance belies the complex and truly tortured soul fairly bursting at the seams to break out from beneath.
The Wackness (2008)
This is a really cool flick.
And if you only know Josh Peck from his comic, yet sanitized, role in Nickelodeon’'s "Drake & Josh", he will likely surprise with his acting chops here. His fine performance is totally natural and involving. It certainly hints of more impressive film work to come.
Baghead (2008)
Described as "off beat", I couldn't agree more.
This film seems to be one thing, then another, then takes a sharp detour into something altogether different. This may not sound like a promising recipe for a satisfying movie. But somehow it is.
Relationships, Comedy, Terror and, ultimately, Friendship, this movie explores each of these subjects in an engaging and genuine manner.
I liked this one. Give it a shot. If for the sake of something "off the beaten path" if nothing else.
Juno (2007)
Liked it.
While a bit too self-aware and smug for me, Ellen Page was nonetheless entertaining as the tragicomic pregnant teen title character.
For my money, the mismatched DINK Couple of Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman completely stole this show when all is said and done.
I'm Not There (2007)
A trip of a flick. I dug it. And you don't really have to be a BIG Dylan fan.
Question for those who've seen it: Why did Cate Blanchett not win The Academy Award for Best Actress?
Adventureland (2009)
I thought this may well be another in an endless mind-numbing parade of pandering and stupid teen flicks. It isn't.
This is a thoughtful and sweet movie with a real heart. Well worth your time.
And can I just say that I am COMPLETELY in love with Kristen Stewart.
But then, who isn't?
Everything Must Go (2010)
After watching this touching and well-acted little gem you may well find yourself wishing what I do: That Will Ferrell would work in more genuinely thoughtful films like this.
Free of the worn paper-thin, over-the-top and pretentious affectations of the oblivious and silly dufus-headed dolts he has played in almost every flick he's ever appeared in, Ferrell actually shows that he's really a hell of an actor.
I'm not suggesting "Shakespeare in The Park" as a career path for Ferrell. But I am certainly recommending more roles that challenge and stretch his gift. And in so doing, we of relatively discerning cinematic expectations will much more abundantly appreciate our investment of time, effort and money in his movies.
Win Win (2011)
Man, I really loved this movie.
Funny. Poignant. Affecting. Genuine. This remarkably fresh film covers the gamut of human emotion. And it does so on the strength of uniformly engaging performances by all actors involved, each of whom never seem to be acting.
Amy Ryan and newcomer Alex Shaffer are particularly impressive as they absolutely inhabit their characters, making them both completely believable and compelling.
You would have loved to have seen at least one or two Oscar nominations pay tribute to the exceptional performances in "Win Win." It hardly comes as a shock that The Academy failed to step up and recognize this production's communally outstanding ensemble work. Shame on them.
Right off the bat (or "stick" in the case of this hockey comedy/drama) I thought that this movie was going to be really stupid, and that I'd made a big mistake in ordering the DVD. But I decided to give it a chance. And I'm glad I did.
This is a flick that could have been a silly and over-the-top throwaway. But, thankfully, the film makers, and the cast, took the story in a whole different direction. And they wound up with a fresh and engaging take on friendship, love and loyalty.
Seann William Scott is blissfully ignorant as a man/child with the capacity to become a fearsome enforcer. His character says those bluntly candid things we all would like to if we didn't have a filter. Alison Pill is his too-cute-to-take girlfriend who falls helplessly for the big guy's honestly innocent charm. And the seemingly ever-under appreciated Liev Schreiber delivers a memorable turn as an aging hockey thug giving it one last roundhouse swing as rides the downhill slide to the end of a black-and-blue career. And Jay Baruchel is just flat-out funny and whacked-out as hell as Scott's best friend.
Be cautioned, however. The violence is jarring and brutal. But, hey, no one ever confused Pro Hockey with playing patty-cake.
This one could have been mindless. The good news is that it not only has a brain, but a big ol' heart to go along with it.
The Guard (2011)
Nothing against Don Cheadle certainly, who delivers yet another solid turn in this film, but Brendan Gleeson absolutely steals this one going away.
I was not familiar with the Irish actor's work prior to seeing "The Guard", and his performance is absolutely remarkable. At once outrageous, poignant, reflective, affecting, funny and dramatic, depending on what the particular scene calls for, Gleeson is consistently riveting throughout this movie.
Billed as an action comedy, which is fair, I suppose, I consider "The Guard" more of a compelling character study of a man whose time has come and gone, but who refuses to ever lose sight of what once was. And what it was that made him who he is now. For better or worse.
Brick (2005)
So how does this grab ya? A teenage murder mystery done in homage to 1940's film noir only in color. Sound nutty? Well, that's exactly what you have with "Brick".
The genre's trademark staccato, rapid fire dialogue is emulated spot on. However, it is often times difficult to catch in full as the actor's machine gun us with their lyrical lines. The essential component of sexual innuendo teased among the members of various cliques in a California high school is at once smart and scintillating.
As a cinematic experiment, "Brick" is fresh and daring. As a work of cinema, it stands on it's own as a compelling flick.
This post first appeared on The Quick Flick Critic (***LATEST NEW CONTENT Added To "Documentaries" On 6/6/16***), please read the originial post: here
