Arthur Newman Review

Arthur Newman, written by Becky Johnston (Seven Years in Tibet), is one of those independent films that you will moderately enjoy, but ultimately forget about in a few weeks. Not because the film is fundamentally bad, but because it loses steam (as well as its charm) in the third act. The film’s interesting spin on an overdone concept – middle-aged protagonist with a lackluster life decides to change things up and start anew – is left in the dust and the plot unfortunately reverts back to type. Thankfully, the extremely talented Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) and Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) are there to make the disappointing ending a little easier to handle.

Colin Firth plays Wallace Avery, a straight-laced Fed-Ex floor manager who is depressed about his boring, unfulfilled life. He has a bland relationship with his girlfriend (Anne Heche) and is estranged from his adolescent son. Desperate for change, Avery decides to do what any normal person would do, fake his own death and buy a new identity, Arthur J. Newman.

“Arthur Newman” is not as boring as Wallace Avery; in fact, Arthur is a waspy golf pro who is on his way to a golf course in Terre Haute, Indiana for a new job. Before Arthur/Wallace gets to his destination, however, he meets a free-spirited woman named Mike (Emily Blunt), who has significant baggage of her own. In fact, Mike is also living under an assumed name and running from her dark past. What are the odds?

After Wallace saves Mike’s life from an apparent drug overdose, the two lost souls set out on a road trip to Indiana and along the way develop an intriguing relationship. Things only get weirder (and more interesting) when the couple decides to take identity thievery to a new level. They break into people’s homes when they are gone, dress in their clothes, and assume their imagined personas. Only through these “characters” can Mike and Wallace connect both emotionally and physically.

 


What develops is a quirky love story that is unfortunately derailed by the writer’s change in tone. Johnston abandons much of the interesting identity theft story, and starts to equally focus on Wallace’s abandoned girlfriend and son. I would have appreciated that whole subplot cut, to make room for more character development between Wallace and Mike; by the end of the film, it is hard to discern the characters’ final motivations.  Nevertheless, I could watch Emily Blunt and Colin Firth in a movie together any day. This is certainly a film that requires likeable actors to engage the audience in a weird adventure. If not for their fantastic acting skills, and surprisingly great chemistry, I certainly wouldn’t have enjoyed Arthur Newman as much as I did.

Though I wish Arthur Newman had stayed its quirky course, I did enjoy many aspects of the film. After all, who doesn’t enjoy seeing Queen Victoria and King George VI as co-romantic leads. However, due to the disappointing third act, I certainly wouldn’t suggest you rush out to theaters to see the film. This is definitely a rainy-day rental.

My Grade: B-/C+

Arthur Newman Trailer

The Reluctant Fundamentalist Review

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, a film that is seemingly about the radicalization of a “westernized” Muslim against his adopted country, is certainly timely. After all, following the Boston Marathon bombing, many Americans asked, “How could “Americanized” citizens commit such a horrific crime?” However, due to the scattered plot and the inability to connect with the main character, I left the theater feeling more disappointed than enlightened. In all honesty, I’m still confused about what happened in the third act. Either that, or I was too bored to care.

The “reluctant fundamentalist” in this film is Changez Khan (Riz Ahmed), a Pakistani man who moves to the United States in the late 1990s to attend college. In the film’s present day, however, he is back in Lahore, Pakistan, teaching controversial, bordering on inciting, issues in a University. When an American professor is kidnapped, suspicious eyes fall on Changez and his students. In an effort to mitigate the situation, Changez decides to meet with American reporter Bobby Lincoln (Liev Schreiber). Using an annoyingly clichéd plot device, Changez tells the story of his adult life to Lincoln in flashbacks, asking him to hold his judgment until the end of the story.

Through these flashbacks, we learn that after college, Changez took a job on Wall Street at a top financial firm, Underwood-Sampson. His cunning, at times ruthless, business skills quickly catch the eye of his boss (Kiefer Sutherland), which helps Changez rise through the ranks and become an associate at the firm. When Changez meets and falls in love with Erica (Kate Hudson), everything in his life appears to be going right. That is, until the events of 9/11 change everything.

This is where the movie loses me. Throughout the film I didn’t find Changez to be a particularly likeable character. He comes off as self-absorbed and shallow, taking a job that requires him to fire people from companies to increase profit (think George Clooney in Up In The Air). After 9/11, however, the film wants you to feel sorry for Changez by showing a divergence from his American identity. The problem, however, is that the filmmaker never makes it completely obvious what caused this fundamental change. Was it the few instances we see of racial discrimination? A film about racial discrimination following 9/11 would make for an interesting movie, however, in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, it just didn’t work. Mostly because the discrimination, at times, didn’t seem to be discrimination at all and was merely payback for the outcome of an insensitive job. For example, when Changez is called “Osama” by a man in Georgia, it seemed to be less about his ethnicity and more about the fact he just fired so many people.

Even though I disliked the storyline, I did enjoy Ahmed’s performance in the film. He is a great actor and did the best he could to make his character interesting. I only wish we could have seen more of his relatable side. The other standout in the film was the perfectly cast Kiefer Sutherland. He brings his Jack Bower furrowed brow to many scenes and was completely believable in the role. Warning, if you’re a Kate Hudson fan, I wouldn’t see this movie just because she’s in it. Unfortunately, her role is poorly written, one-dimensional and at times annoying. Her role could have easily been cut to make the film a little shorter.

Although The Reluctant Fundamentalist had the potential to be great, it flounders pretty quickly, and ultimately crashes and burns in the third act. It’s never a good thing when you come out of a movie and can’t quite grasp what you just watched, nor do you care to try to analyze it with friends. If you’re looking for a drama to see this weekend, check out The Impossible (available on Netflix, RedBox, and On Demand) instead.

My Review: D+

The Reluctant Fundamentalist Trailer

Pain and Gain Review

Pain and Gain, directed by Michael Bay (Armageddon), is the most outrageous true story I have ever heard, much less seen on film. In fact, it is hard to believe it took Hollywood this long to make the story into a movie. Seriously, the level of absurdity is so high, the first thing I did when I got home from the screening was Google the true story. I was convinced that there was no way this could all be real. After all, I surely would have seen this on a special episode of Dateline, right? Wrong. Unfortunately for the real people involved, mostly everything in the film is true; there doesn’t need to be major embellishments for the sake of Hollywood (and the explosion-loving Michael Bay). That being said, it is great to see Bay leave behind the big-budget (low-on-story, high-on-explosions) Transformers films and return to a movie with interesting characters and an entertaining script like his earlier works, The Rock and Armageddon.

Pain and Gain is billed as a true crime-action-dramedy, and it certainly is all of these things. Most of the comedic elements are genuinely funny and it is nice to see a film that doesn’t give away all of the funniest scenes in the trailer. I especially loved The Rock’s selection of Jesus-loving t-shirts and Mark Wahlberg’s jorts. Did I mention the film takes place in 1995? However, despite the humor, be prepared for a dark turn in the middle of the second act that sets the stage for some pretty extreme (and outrageous) violence. When this macabre, Fargo-esque story began to develop, I realized that maybe this isn’t the type of story I should be laughing at. After all, real people lost their lives. Should we really be enjoying a story that is this sinister?

The film opens on Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), a white-collar ex-con turned gym manager/personal trainer who is hired by Sun Gym in Miami to infuse new blood into the facility. In only a few months, Lugo transitions the gym from a geriatric-centered facility into a mecca for bodybuilders and other fitness-obsessed gym rats. However, this early success isn’t enough for Lugo; he believes he is meant for more, both personally and financially. When Lugo attends a self-help seminar led by Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong), an eccentric motivational speaker, he becomes convinced that the only way to achieve his distorted vision of the American Dream is to take control of his life and become a “do’er” instead of a “don’ter”.

This new “can-do” mentality leads Lugo to develop a fool-proof (ha!) get-rich-quick scheme with the help of fellow bodybuilders Adrian Dorbal (Anthony Mackie) and the recently paroled, ultra-religious Paul Doyle (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). The trio decides to kidnap a wealthy, yet crooked, personal training client named Victor Kershaw and extort all of his money and assets. As you can probably imagine, things do not go according to plan, which leads to an insane sequence of events that you’ll have to see for yourself.

Unlike some of Bay’s recent movies, Pain and Gain has a great cast with no weak links. Although Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights) gained 40 lbs of muscle to play Lugo, the character surprisingly requires a more mental and emotional performance than physical. We see Wahlberg expertly transform his character from a man trying to capture his piece of the American Dream to a full-fledged sociopath. Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind) is also perfectly cast in the role of a private detective, sent to investigate the “Sun Gym Gang” and their influx of money. The two standout performances of the film, however, were Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids) and Dwayne Johnson (Fast Five). As always, Wilson steals every scene she is in. She is so hilarious that it almost makes up for the annoyingly misogynistic scenes in the film that made me roll my eyes; I only wish she were in the movie more. Johnson also delivers my favorite performance of his career. He plays Doyle, the Jesus-loving, ex-drug addict, with such uncharacteristic tranquility, it is interesting to watch; well, that is, when he isn’t being manipulated into hurting people.

Although the film does run a bit too long (129 minutes) and definitely has its slower moments, I was entertained and I think you will be too. Though I don’t know that I will watch it again, it is certainly an unbelievable story that everyone will enjoy talking about when you leave the theater. Bottom line: this isn’t an Oscar winner by any means, but if you are looking for a fun, entertaining movie to start off your weekend, check out Pain and Gain.

My Review: B

 

Pain and Gain Trailer

Review of 42

42, written and directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential), tells the true story of baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s (played by Chadwick Boseman) struggle to break the color barrier in professional baseball. As foreshadowed in the title (42 was Robinson’s baseball jersey number), the film is not a complete biopic. It instead focuses on the difficult years from 1945-1947 when Robinson was called up from the Negro baseball league to play for the all-white Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers’ executive, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), chose Robinson because he was a tough player who could be the pioneer for integration in major league baseball. Rickey’s only request was that Robinson maintain his cool even when faced with angry crowds shouting nasty, racist things; as hard as it may be, Robinson needed to set the example.

If you are interested in learning more about Jackie Robinson the man, beware. 42 focuses primarily on the racism Robinson faced during his rookie year with the Dodgers, not on the story of his entire life.  Robinson had to deal with prejudice not only from the public but amongst teammates, umpires, and the opposing team. One scene in particular shows the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies screaming racial epithets (including a Django Unchained level usage of the n-word) at Robinson for a good five minutes while he is up to bat. The hate-filled speech and Jackie’s inability to put the man in his place leads to one of the most upsetting scenes I’ve seen in a long time.  

The awe-inspiring bravery of Robinson to play in such a hostile environment, during a time when discrimination and segregation were the norm, is a worthy story that needs to be told. However, I would have appreciated getting to know a little more about the man himself.  Were there other conflicts in his life besides battling racism? I would have liked to see 42 take an approach more like A League of Their Own, where the conflict involving discrimination in baseball is expertly woven throughout the plot while still allowing the audience to learn more about the main characters. For example, along with sexism, the women in A League of Their Own had to deal with their own personal struggles (relationships, death, etc...). 42, however, portrays Robinson more as a flawless hero than a real person. In fact, there is only one scene where we see Jackie finally break down because he cannot fight back against his detractors. 

Despite the fact that Robinson isn’t fully developed in the film, Boseman does a fantastic job in the role. He plays Robinson with as much emotion as the script allows; I only wish I could have seen more of his emotional range. Boseman is totally believable as a baseball player. At times I forgot that I was watching an actor and thought I was watching an actual professional. Harrison Ford also does a great job playing Branch Rickey. The wise advice and constant support Rickey gives Robinson throughout the film is extremely heartwarming. Not to mention Ford’s over-the-top, cartoonish performance and fantastic one-liners provide the film some great comedic relief. Also, don’t miss John C. McGinley (Scrubs) as a hilarious baseball announcer. 

42 is definitely a film everyone should see, not only to appreciate the struggles of Jackie Robinson, but to appreciate all of the nameless people who also had to deal with discrimination. Though the plot was extremely predictable, you would have to have a cold heart not to be inspired and extremely appreciative of the sacrifices this man made in the quest for racial equality.    


My Review: B-

42 Trailer

Welcome to Jurassic Park...3D!!!

The second I heard that Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park was being re-released in theaters for its 20^th anniversary, I knew I had to be there opening day. Jurassic Park is not only one of my favorite action films, but it holds the distinction of being :gasp: the first PG-13 movie I ever saw in theaters.  Thankfully, the film is just as thrilling and awesome as ever; only this time it’s in 3D! It’s hard to believe that after all of these years, I still jump when the raptor’s head pops out at Ellie (Laura Dern) in the circuit breaker room and cringe when Alan (Sam Neill) and the children are climbing the electric fence. However, what shocked me the most was the moment I realized how crazy my parents were to allow me to see Jurassic Park in theaters when I was four years old. Maybe that is why I am still terrified to eat green Jell-O.

Everyone probably knows the premise of Jurassic Park, but here is a quick refresher. John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), an eccentric billionaire, uses dinosaur DNA found in fossilized mosquitoes to clone the animals and bring them back to life for his new theme park. However, due to a previous accident, Hammond’s investors insist he bring experts in to certify the park is safe before it can be officially opened. Hammond sends for Dr. Alan Grant (Neill), a paleontologist, and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Dern), a paleobotanist, while his investors bring Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), a mathematician that specializes in the chaos theory. As soon as the group gets to the island, they are joined by Hammond’s grandchildren for a tour of the park.

Unbeknownst to them, Dennis (Wayne Knight), a disgruntled employee, has decided to escape the island with dinosaur embryos that he plans to sell to Hammond’s competitor. However, in order to take the embryos out of the facility, Dennis has to deactivate the park’s security system (including the electric fences). This allows many of the dinosaurs to get out of their enclosures and have free reign of the island, leading to a dangerous confrontation between man and dinosaur.

If you are a fan of Jurassic Park, definitely do not miss it in theaters for its 3D release.  Although I find 3D movies to be a bit gimmicky, Jurassic Park takes the Titanic approach and uses the 3D to enhance the scenes, adding extraordinary amounts of depth to the picture. Not to mention, just when you think Jurassic Park can’t be any more terrifying, try watching the velociraptor kitchen scene in 3D. I would also recommend that you see the film in IMAX, though my suggestion is more about sound than picture. Jurassic Park has one of the best soundtracks in cinematic history and I loved being able to hear the score and sound effects at an IMAX level. Watch out for the raptor shrieks, though. I’m still having nightmares about that.

My Review: A+ (it’s freakin’ Jurassic Park!)

  **What are your favorite moments from Jurassic Park? Tell us below! Extra points if it’s in gif form. Here is my favorite Jurassic Park gif to start us off…**

 

The Place Beyond the Pines Review

The Place Beyond the Pines, directed by Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), is an epic film that depicts the complicated relationship between fathers and sons and its effects over generations. It is one of those movies you want to discuss immediately when you walk out of the theater. Not because it is the best movie you have ever seen, but because the plot doesn’t follow the typical Hollywood formula; it is unique and at times very surprising.  One twist in particular will make you gasp and whisper “WHAT?!” After the screening, I even went back and re-watched the trailer to make sure my shock was warranted. It was.

Cianfrance takes an ambitious risk with the content of this film. Without giving too much away, the plot can be broken down into three distinct parts—each is almost a movie in itself. While I appreciate this unique type of storytelling, the film is hurt by the fact that it is too long (over 2 hours) and at times felt like it was sacrificing character development by cramming too much into the plot. However, even with these criticisms, I can’t help but appreciate where the film took me morally and emotionally. It’s not every day that a film leaves you with such an impression.

Because I hate spoilers and try to make my reviews as spoiler-free as possible, it has proven difficult to write this review. I want audiences to be surprised and see The Place Beyond the Pines with few expectations. In fact, the film will resonate best if the audience knows as little as possible about the plot before going in. The one specific spoiler I will gladly divulge, for the sake of anyone who has longed to be picked up in the ocean while hearing “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird”, is that the film begins with a close-up of Ryan Gosling’s abs (Cianfrance really knows how to begin a movie). “Handsome Luke” (Gosling) is a tattooed stunt biker, who rides his motorcycle in a traveling carnival’s Globe of Death. Luke is the star of the show and can easily get girls in every town. It isn’t until he meets Romina (Eva Mendes), however, that things change.

Romina is Luke’s “girl” in Schenectady, New York and as it turns out, gave birth to his child during the year it took him to circle back to town with the show. In an effort to not repeat the sins of his own father, Luke decides to quit the show and remain in town to be with his family. The only problem is, Romina lives with another man who can provide for her and her son, whereas Luke has barely any money to his name. In an effort to win back his family, Luke decides to rob banks and use his motorcycle expertise to escape the law. After many successful heists, the situation changes when Luke crosses paths with rookie policeman Avery (Bradley Cooper). THAT is all I can and will say.




The acting in The Place Beyond the Pines is what really makes the film successful. Gosling once again excels at playing the charming, yet conflicted bad boy who woos the audience’s sympathies despite his poor life choices. Gosling is the heart and soul of the film. He convincingly reveals his character’s aspiration to be the best father he can be despite the immeasurable odds against him. Not to mention, only Gosling can make a face tattoo look cool (I’m looking at you Mike Tyson). This film also features Bradley Cooper in his best role yet. His performance as a conflicted police officer, with his own personal demons, shows he is an actor that can consistently turn out solid performances. Because the theme of the film focuses on the relationship between fathers and sons, the roles of Eva Mendes and Rose Byrne were pretty expendable; any actress could have played the parts. The other standout supporting performances in the film were Ray Liotta, as a crooked cop, and Dane DeHaan (whose role I cannot reveal).

Along with the acting and plot twists, the cinematography in the film is top-notch. Especially wonderful was the tracking shot at the beginning of the film that follows Luke from his trailer, through the carnival, finally landing on the Globe of Death; this simple shot really sets the tone of the film. The audience feels like it is in the scene and not just passively observing the action. Another visually stunning scene involves Luke speeding down a rural road with the camera following him from above. This image brings your thoughts back to a critical line in the film, “If you ride like lightning, you’re going to crash like thunder.” I realized that by speeding away on his bike, Luke is not only trying to escape from police, but is also trying to escape from the personal struggles in his life.

The Place Beyond the Pines is an ambitious film that has the feeling of an Americana novel. While the film may drag at times, I can’t imagine anyone would leave the theater wanting their money back. If you hate spoilers like I do, I would definitely try to see this one as soon as possible.

My Score: B+/A-

The Place Beyond the Pines Trailer

Evil Dead Review

Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead, a remake of Sam Raimi’s cult-classic The Evil Dead, is one of the best horror remakes of the past decade (though I don’t think that is saying much). In an era of Saw VI and Texas Chainsaw 3D, it was refreshing to see a film that embraces the (at times) ridiculous plot points and character choices present in horror movies (e.g. going into a creepy, dark basement alone). During many of the scenes, however, I wasn’t sure whether the movie was trying to be silly, or if it was actually that outrageous. By the time I saw the scene where a character is brutally stabbed and the others run to get water and sugar to help with his blood loss, I knew this had to be a joke. At least, that’s what I hope. It must also be noted that the film is not as scary as the trailer makes it out to be. I only jumped a couple of times, and the “scary” scenes were more gruesome than they were frightening. Though Evil Dead isn’t as terrifying as I had expected, true horror fans (especially fans of the original film) will not leave the theater disappointed.

Much like Raimi’s The Evil Dead, the remake begins with five college-aged students who decide to spend the weekend at an isolated cabin in the woods. However, in this version of the story the main character Mia (Jane Levy) is a drug-addict, who is using the cabin as a place to battle withdrawal under the watchful eye of her friends and brother. Because Mia almost died from a recent overdose, the group decides they will not leave the cabin until she has successfully sobered up. Unfortunately for them, the cabin has a history of demon possession. When one of the characters finds a variation of the Book of the Dead in the cellar, and of course reads aloud from the books pages, a powerful demon is awakened and the bloodbath begins.

I really enjoyed the inventive new premise of Evil Dead. The drug withdrawal storyline is a good way to tie the characters to the house just long enough for the demon to possess Mia. Additionally, it gives the characters an explanation for her erratic behavior (at least until others fall victim too). The film also gets points for being the goriest movie I’ve ever seen. In comparison to its low-budget predecessor, this film spares no expense when it comes to gruesome makeup and special effects. If you ever wondered what it would look like if someone licked an extra sharp box cutter, or cut off a limb with an electric carving knife, this is the movie for you. However, if you are a bit squeamish, you may want to skip this film (or at least prepare to shield your eyes). Full disclosure, I am not a big fan of gore and had to look away from the screen many times. Isn’t that the fun of a horror movie, though?

In terms of entertainment, Evil Dead was pretty solid. I love movies (horror movies especially) where you feel compelled to yell out to the characters on screen and tell them how stupid they are acting. However, due to the fact that I was underwhelmed by the lack of truly scary moments and that the ending carried on way too long, I wouldn’t suggest you run out to theaters to see it. This is definitely a movie you will enjoy via Netflix.
My Score: C

Evil Dead Trailer