Love & Mercy (2014)

Directed by Bill Pohlad
Written by Oren Moverman and Michael A. Lerner, based on the life of Brian Wilson
Starring John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti

In the 1960s, Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson struggles with emerging psychosis as he attempts to craft his avant-garde pop masterpiece. In the 1980s, he is a broken, confused man under the 24-hour watch of shady therapist Dr. Eugene Landy.

A film about a person I was unaware of from a band I don't particularly care for, yet somehow found myself deeply invested in his story. Being director Bill Pohlad's first film in the captain's chair since 1990, there was some obvious rust that he had to shake off, but did so all the while creating a heart wrenching story of a man trapped by his own illness.

With valiant performances from the entire cast, most notably Paul Dano and John Cusack, an unexpected problem arose. John Cusack is so impressive as the aging rock star that he distracts from the rest of the cast.

There was one scene in particular that was mostly shot over his shoulder to Elizabeth Banks. His reflection is scene out of focus just behind her, but I couldn't take my eyes off of his blurry face. His performance was so powerful that I was drawn to it, even when he was barely on screen.

Another thing that was obvious was Paul Dano's voice. He matched Brian Wilson's voice so well that I couldn't tell which scenes were Paul singing and which were the original recording.

The film, overall was decent. I had some issues with the editing, but most of you wouldn't even notice it if I pointed it out. The acting, of course was top notch and the story was beautifully tragic. I would definitely not call this one of the top ten movies of the year, but it is worth the watch.

My Rating: 7/10

The Graduate (1967)

Directed by Mike Nichols
Written by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, based on the novel by Charles Webb
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross and William Daniels

A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter.

There is no denying that this comedy from 1967 is a classic. It is filled with memorable scenes, perfect performances and top-notch writing. This film has withstood the test of time and still finds a sense or relevance among younger audiences.

But good God, is it annoying. Filled with stupid, annoying and irrational characters who do stupid, annoying and irrational things. No character has any redeeming qualities and even as a twenty-five year old, I find everyone's actions childish and literally the worst possible thing they can do in the situations they find themselves in.

Starring a definitely-not-twenty-year-old Dustin Hoffman and a not-much-older-than-Dustin-Hoffman Anne Bancroft, I found their characters rather unbelievable. Their affair, however was more believable than the love between Hoffman and the daughter of his lover. 

More time was spent on establishing the affair than was spent on the entire part of the film in which he "fell in love" with the daughter, let alone the 30 seconds it took for him to fall in love with her. Which made the entire plot eye-roll worthy.

All that being said, you're probably expecting my to give this an extremely low rating. Despite all of it's flaws, and there were many, I found that the performances overshadowed them. Yes, they were all stupid, annoying and irrational. But they all had a humor to them that made the experience enjoyable. It's easy to see why this film is a classic.

My Rating: 6/10

Jersey Boys (2014)

Directed by Clint Eastwood
Written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Starring John Lloyd Young, Vincent Piazza, Michael Lomenda and Erich Bergen

Based on the hit Broadway musical, the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s music group, The Four Seasons.

Filled with the great music that made The Four Seasons a musical group that would have a Broadway musical and subsequent movie made about them, the performances are great. They give the entire movie the feel of the 50s and 60s creating a a sort of time capsule, as if it were just opened up after 50 years.

But musical performances aside, the film felt uninspired. I wonder if Clint Eastwood was too distracted by his upcoming "American Sniper" project to give this one his entire focus. And it is apparent that it's missing the dedication that even some of the worst films have. Like the musical, it feels like a jukebox movie. 

And I don't mean that in the sense that they use classic songs. I mean that it comes off as someone had just put a quarter in a jukebox and walked away. The material is there, and it's good enough to play in the background. But no one is dancing to it. It's just there while you're sitting at the diner bar and eating your pancakes.

"Pancakes? What the hell is he talking about"

The fact that "American Sniper" came out close to six months after this movie, I'm convinced that Clint Eastwood wasn't totally invested in this movie. And it shows.

5/10