Demolition (2015)

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
Written by Bryan Sipe
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper and Judah Lewis

As an investment banker struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash, his increasingly confessional series of letters to a vending machine company catch the attention of a customer service rep with whom he forms an unlikely connection.

To follow up his masterpiece in "Dallas Buyers Club" and the wildly disappointing movie "Wild" (pun not intended, I promise), director Jean-Marc Vallée seems to have type-cast himself, in a way, with the types of films he creates. Perhaps he has finally found a style that he feels best expresses himself, or maybe he's just trying to recapture the success of "Dallas Buyers Club", but I feel he is starting to drift away from what made that film great while he tries too hard to keep himself significant.

At it's core, this film is (or could have been) intensely beautiful and heart wrenchingly emotional. It could have created a bond between protagonist and audience that could not be easily broken. After all, anyone that has lived a significant portion of their life has experienced the loss of a loved one in some way.

But instead, we are presented with a convoluted story of a selfish, unforgiving man. And perhaps that is exactly what the writer, director and actor wanted him to be. But I can't help but feel that it fails on so many levels.

The film feels as though it believe it is more clever than it is, elbowing you in the ribs as if to say "You see what I did there?". But in reality, there isn't much to point out. There are no deep metaphors or well constructed character arcs. In fact, it's hard to tell how the main character comes to the end of his journey. It kind of just happens. But about an hour after it should have happened.

Jake Gyllenhaal, while a decent actor, has seemingly been doing everything within his power to get an Oscar nomination. And it's been painfully apparent in every film he's been in since "Nightcrawler" (with the exception of "Everest").

Naomi Watts' role, as much as I love her, served absolutely no purpose other than to be a Macguffin. She disappears for much of the film, and when she is in the scene, you feel a sense of anticipation for everything to finally come together. But it never does.

If I'm honest, the first six paragraphs of this review paint a worse picture than it deserves. It's not a terrible movie. There is just a lot that I had to say regarding the plot. It wasn't terrible. It was just bland. It didn't have the emotional punch to the gut that made "Dallas Buyers Club" so great. And much like "Wild", it didn't appear as though the protagonist knew how to act around people.

I don't know if Vallée is going for something that I just can't comprehend, and if you feel differently than I do, please contact me to discuss it. I would like to see another view of it. But it just felt as though everyone involved in the higher-ups was just trying to hard.

My Rating: 5/10

Being There (1979)

Directed by Hal Ashby
Written by Jerzy Kosinski based on his novel and Robert C. Jones (Uncredited)
Starring Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas and Jack Warden

A simple, sheltered gardener becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful businessman and an insider in Washington politics. With his literal dissection of everything said to him, his innocent and honest answers are taken as wise musings of the economic climate.

An elegant and subtle comedy, "Being There" is touching, yet slightly terrifying. While I'm sure the situations of this film would never happen in real life, the idea of an illiterate man with no formal education taking the political and financial world by storm raises some serious questions (i.e. Are all Politicians stupid? Answer: Yes.)

Peter Sellers is brilliant as the quiet, simple man of few words. He brings a humanity to his character that is sadly lost even in today's depictions of people with mental illness. As usual, he is hilarious. But this character, despite having the mind of a child, had a maturity to it that truly shows Sellers' depth.

In a modern world where comedies are loud and in your face 99% of the time, it is refreshing to watch the classics that are so widely regarded, yet simple and understated. It is remarkable that a film about "the village idiot", as the trailer describes,  could have such deep, meaningful themes of life and death. It is a rare, beautiful comedy.

My Rating: 8/10

The Trouble With Harry (1955)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by John Michael Hayes, based on the novel by Jack Trevor Story
Starring John Forsythe, Shirley MacLaine, Edmund Gwenn and Mildred Natwick

The trouble with Harry is that he's dead, and everyone seems to have a different idea of what needs to be done with his body.

In this rare, dark comedy from the incomparable Alfred Hitchcock, murder is not the punchline, but rather the set up to many ludicrous situations. In 1950s Vermont, the citizens of this small town seem to be more concerned with being proper and polite than they do with a dead body. Perhaps a satire of the unachievable expectations of manners in the 50s. But I was born in 1989, so what the hell do I know?

The film itself isn't filled with jokes or slapstick situations. It is the sheer macabre nature of this story that makes it's own humor. Hitchcock's dark sense of comedy is so apparent that I could just imagine him sitting bend the camera, grinning from ear to ear.

The age of this movie will turn many away and as much as I urge people to give this and any other classic movie a shot, I understand completely. Older films are not always for everyone due to the way films have changed overtime. The evolution of humor alone has created such a gap in what people of different generations find funny.

"The Trouble With Harry" is dry, dark and ridiculous. If anything, I would say that you will most likely never see another film quite like it. It speaks about death so nonchalantly that it's no surprise that the writer of the novel and the director were both British. So painfully British.

My Rating: 7/10

Beginners (2010)

Written and Directed by Mike Mills

Starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent and Goran Visnjic

A young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover.

This movie has so much substance and thematic elements to it, it's hard not to enjoy it. A story dealing with love, life, the history of civilization between generations and gay rights, it brilliantly links all of these themes together into one coherent and emotional story.

A man so unsure about his ability to love due to the unexpected news that his father was secretly homosexual over the past 44 years, Ewan McGregor captures the confusion and insecurity of his character in a powerful performance. Winner of the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2012 Academy Awards, Christopher Plummer delivers a stellar rendering of a man finally content and confident enough to live as he is. The acting is undoubtedly the power behind this moving film.

Delightfully humorous and painfully honest, at it's core this is a film about the growth of acceptance of homosexuals over the decades and the trials they were put through during the mid-nineteenth century. It is as relevant today as it was three years ago, and I believe it will remain so for a while.

My Rating: 8/10

The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014)

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson
Written by Daniel Taplitz, based on the film "The 92 Minutes of Mr. Baum" written by Assi Dayan
Starring Robin Williams, Mila Kunis, Peter Dinklage and Melissa Leo

A perpetually angry man is informed he has 90 minutes to live and promptly sets out to reconcile with his family and friends in the short time he has left.

Throughout the 83 minutes that this movie plays, the quality goes up and down from being bad, then flirting with the line of being good, only to fall back down again. It never fully satisfies with it's story telling.

Opening with a nice, picturesque scene of a family having a picnic, your image of the father is immediately shattered when they cut to him stuck in traffic 25 years later. It is obvious that this was done on purpose, but I felt that Robin Williams character never fully goes back to that original state of happiness, rendering the entire movie meaningless.

Why would you go to the hospital without a shirt?

With little humor and a lot of yelling, perhaps this film was made more for those who actually live in New York and could relate to the protagonists experiences. But to the rest of us, at least for myself, it fell flat.

That's the perfect word to describe this movie. It wasn't good or bad. It was just flat. Although some scenes peaked my interest and others pushed me away, my emotional connection with the film stayed the same throughout, never changing from the "Yeah… I'm watching a movie…" emotion.

The best part about the movie was seeing Robin Williams. Perhaps this is a new phenomena since his death, but it is quite enjoyable just to see him on screen. It's hard to miss him, even when he's yelling at everyone.

My Rating: 5/10

The Salton Sea (2002)

Directed by D.J. Caruso
Written by Tony Gayton
Starring Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Doug Hutchison and Peter Sarsgaard

After his wife is murdered, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies. He struggles to identify with both his past life and his new one, where danger lurks at every corner.

A perfect combination with equal parts Scorsese, Guy Ritchie, western and classic noir films, "The Salton Sea" is a dark thriller filled with great performances and writing. It perfectly captures the feel of those classic private detective movies, flipping it around and telling it from a junky/informant's perspective.

The most notable performance in this movie is hands down Vincent D'Onofrio as "Pooh-Bear". One thing that he continually proves is his ability to be intimidating and comedic simultaneously. As the nose-less, drug cooking murderer, he casts a shadow of unease and commands the screen with every scene. And just when you think he's going to go completely dark, he'll do something that changes the mode of the scene on a dime.

One thing that I couldn't take seriously was the relationship between Val Kilmer and Peter Sarsgaard's character. It reminded me much of the Frodo/Sam relationship from "The Lord of the Rings". There was this unintentional "will they, won't they" tension throughout. Somewhat ending with the Frodo character being surrounded the fiery death of Mordor.

"I'm your Sam!"

Overall, this was a decent, enjoyable movie. It's not without it's faults, but few movies are. But the noir-style writing, filming and editing of this film make it a unique modernization of a once lost genre. In that sense, it is a beautiful homage to an entire decade of cinema.

My Rating: 7/10

The Dead Zone (1983)

Directed by David Cronenberg
Written by Jeffrey Boan, based on the novel by Stephen King
Starring Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Herbert Lom and Martin Sheen

At the peak of his life, a school teacher who is in love gets into a car accident after a perfect day. He wakes up from a coma five years later only to find he's lost his job and girlfriend. But he soon finds out that he has gained the ability to see the past, present and future of everyone he comes in physical contact with.

Yet another example of why Stephen King is the King of the horror/thriller genre, this movie grabs your attention early on and doesn't let go. Just when you think it's going to continue on the path it's on, it will take you off guard by taking a turn in another direction.

At first it seems as the entire movie will just be one long episode of "CSI". Although I was intrigues, I wasn't impressed with it. But before you know it, they solve the case and move on, turning into a soul searching film, asking the question, "if you know the future, should you change it?"

Oddly enough, this didn't feel like a Cronenberg film. Sure, it was one of his earliest movies, but it felt like it was made by entirely different director. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out it was his movie. It's interesting to look at the evolution of a director's style, and this was close to the beginning.

"The Dead Zone" is a dark, brooding film that remains timeless, even after thirty-two years. I have found that that seems to be a trademark of Stephen King. No matter what time period his books and movies take place in, you can always find some way to relate to the characters.

My Rating: 7/10

Another Earth (2011)

Directed by Mike Cahill
Written by Mike Cahill and Brit Marling
Starring Brit Marling, William Mapother, Kumar Pallana and Matthew-Lee Erlbach

On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. When it is discovered that the newly discovered planet is an exact copy of their world, the student strives to win a trip to see if her duplicates life is as ruined as hers.

In his narrative directorial debut, Mike Cahill combines the style of a low budget independent film with the ambition of a thought provoking science fiction film. While the low budget is very apparent in the way it was filmed, it adds a certain charm to the story rather than distract from it. The grain and shake and natural lighting gives it a realism that many larger budget films are missing.

The story is a simple one, but none the less enticing. It presents questions that are more or less inevitable for all people of Earth to ask themselves at some point in their lives. Is the constant crippling pain of grief something you can't escape? What would my life be like if I had made different choices? The characters in this movie have the chance to explore and find answers.

This movie is undeniably a thought out, in depth look at what it is to be a human who has made life changing mistakes. And the very concept is one  that is unique, at least in the way it is executed as not completely a science fiction film. But I couldn't help but feel that something was missing.

The relationship between the student and the composer didn't feel as logical as I would have hoped. And with the short running time, it felt as though they pushed it along too quickly. Perhaps had it been slightly longer and developed the characters more, it would have been great instead of decent.

Regardless, this should definitely be nominated for the most unapologetically pretentious line of dialogue in a movie.

"I don't want to eat the apple of cynicism."

Ugh.

My Rating: 6.5/10

The Devil's Backbone (2001)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Written by Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras and Mavid Muñoz
Starring Fernando Tielve, Íñigo Garcés, Federico Luppi and Eduardo Noriega

After Carlos, a 12-year-old whose father has died in the Spanish Civil War, arrives at an ominous boy's orphanage, he discovers the school is haunted and has many dark secrets that he must uncover. Mainly the mystery of "the one who sighs", the ghost of a little boy who wanders the orphanage.

There are truly no horror films like those of Guillermo del Toro. He has such a way with storytelling, that he does not need jump scares and gore to keep you terrified. He does so with a subtlety and grace of the building tension, until the pot boils over.

Rather than having a monster or ghost the source of fear in his films, he uses them as the victims to the much more real villain of human cruelty. It is certainly a privilege to watch his stories unfold and this is no exception.

Being one of his earlier pictures, "The Devil's Backbone" fells as though it set the course for his career. It also becomes apparent that his style has not changed, not that it needs to. The themes of the innocence of children and their first experience with death has been prevalent throughout his career, and this is no different. It is one of the thing that makes him unique. 

He does not present death as something you should be afraid of. He presents it as the sad, inevitable finale of life that we must all accept. He finds a way to find the beauty and humanity of pain and present it with a sense of calm and solace. He continues to show why he is one of the more unique directors out there.

My Rating: 7/10

Detachment (2011)

Directed by Tony Kaye
Written by Carl Lund
Starring Adrian Brody, Sami Gayle, Christina Hendricks and Betty Kaye

A substitute teacher who drifts from classroom to classroom finds a connection to the students and teachers during his latest assignment. During his stay with this school, he meets a young girl who is living on the streets, showing him just how bad it can be for those who never have anyone that cares for  them. Even if it is just a teacher.

A love letter to teachers everywhere, this film shows just how stressful and emotionally draining being an educator can really be. In a "No Child Left Behind" world, where state-wide testing is everything and the failure of a single student is the fault of their teacher, this is a display of just how frustratingly backwards the American mindset on education is.

Adrien Brody gives an amazing performance as a career substitute teacher trying to make as much of an impact as he can in a short period of time. Yet he keeps himself distant as to not have an emotional breakdown like the permanent teachers that surround him every day. This film will truly give you respect for those you took for granted during your school days.

In his biggest release since "American History X", Director Tony Kaye has taken his voice and style of film making and has shout it through a megaphone. The power of this film is one that is hard to find in the endless sea of movies released every year. To say that it is gripping is an understatement. It is rare that a film grabs you and keeps you hostage such as this one did. With a star-studded cast, where recognizable names clutter the line-up, this is a movie that anyone who values education should watch.

My Rating: 10/10

The Seventh Seal (1957)

Written and Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Starring Max von Sydow, Bengt Ekerot, Gunnar Björnstrand and Nils Poppe

A knight returning home from ten years of fighting in the crusades is greeted by Death, who has come to take him. He barters with the dark figure to play chess, in order to seek answers about life, death and the existence of God.

With it's dark themes and faith questioning protagonist, this film is definitely not one that could have ever been made in the United States at the time it was produced. Asking questions and seeking the answers that we all struggle with at some point in our lives, "The Seventh Seal" is a film we can all related to.

Arguably the most artistic film to come out of the 50s, this Swedish picture explores existentialism and does not give you a second to believe it's anything other than that. From the beginning, the imagery of a man playing chess on a beach with Death sets the tone for the rest of the movie immediately. And for that, it has become one of the most famous images in cinema history.

With thought provoking dialogue, backed with some of the best performances of it's decade, it is easy to see why "The Seventh Seal" has become such a renowned classic. While the techniques and technology used to make this remarkable film have become outdated, the themes are timeless and will never lose their relevancy. This movie is certainly not for everyone. But if you consider yourself a film buff, you have to see it. You may love it or you may hate it. But at least you will have an educated opinion on such a classic film.

My Rating: 7.3/10

The Hunter (2011)

Directed by Daniel Nettheim
Written by Alice Addison, Wain Fimeri and Daniel Nettheim, based on the novel by Julia Liegh
Starring Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Frances O'Connor and Morgana Davies

Martin, a mercenary, is sent from Europe by a mysterious bio tech company to the Tasmanian wilderness on a hunt for the last Tasmanian tiger. A creature thought to have been extinct for nearly 80 years.

On it's surface, this film seems like your typical hunt or be hunted, mercenary thriller. A guy is hired for a job and finds out he is being followed. But at it's core, this is so much more than that. It is also about man and their unjustified desire to control nature and the world, even at the risk of killing off an entire species.

Willem Dafoe is captivating in his performance as a hunter hired to kill the last Tasmanian tiger in existence, if legends are truthful. The entire movie keeps you on the edge of your seat as question after question enters your mind. Will he find the tiger? If so, will he kill it? If not, what will happen to him?

Will Willem Dafoe kick some ass and take some names?

Through archive black and white footage and photographs, the story of the Tasmanian tiger is revealed. Through hunting, the species came to an end. This movie provides you with an intense sadness that these magnificent creatures were killed off for pointless reasons. This was a great movie that surprised me with having more meaning behind it than previously thought. And the cinematography for it was gorgeous. 

My Rating: 7/10

The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012)

Directed by Felix van Groeningen
Written by Carl Joos and Felix van Groeningen, based on the play by Johan Heldenberg and Mieke Dobbels with collaboration from Charolette Vandermeersch
Starring Johan Heldenberg, Veerle Baetens, Nell Cattrysse and Geert van Rampelberg

A religiously devout tattoo artist and an atheist banjo player obsessed with bluegrass music form an unlikely romance and instantly fall in love despite their differences. Years later, their daughter becomes ill, putting new strains on their relationship.

A heartbreaking story about the stresses of having a child with cancer, this film explores that terribly common scenario with a couple who have two separate views of the afterlife. In a brutally honest, yet with a hint of reverence, the filmmakers tackle such controversial topics as religion, stem cell research and the separation of church and state.

The two leading actors give painfully sincere performances, depicting the parents who may lose their only child. And the fact that the two performed the music throughout only adds to the impressive feat. The way the director uses delicately chosen songs to push the plot forward, while also giving more insight to where the characters are at emotionally, is truly a task that should not be overlooked. It is impeccable how well these songs say so much, yet don't bring the flow of the film to a screeching halt.

And the songs are pretty damn good, too.

One of the most unexpected thing in this movie is the performance of the little girl who plays their daughter. It is rare that a young actress such as herself can be convincing in their performances. I found myself thinking that they had hired one of their daughters to play her, but that was not the case. She just seemed so natural with them.

While the story is a heavy one and it may be hard to watch at times, "The Broken Circle Breakdown" is one of the more powerful films I have seen. And although it has only been about three years since it's release, I can tell that it is a timeless story that people will be able to connect with decades from now.

My Rating: 8/10

The Better Angels (2014)

Written and Directed by A. J. Edwards
Starring Braydon Denney, Jason Clarke, Diane Kruger and Brit Marling

The story of Abraham Lincoln's childhood in the harsh wilderness of Indiana and the hardships that shaped him. His rocky relationship with his father, the tragedy that marked him forever and the two women who guided him to immortality.

The beautiful tragedy that was Abraham Lincoln's childhood always struck me with inspiration. When I first read about his pre-political life, I was dumbfounded that a man who had achieved so much greatness came from virtually nothing and gave himself every single bit of knowledge he would need to become the man that this country owes so much to.

Although, many parts of this movie were undoubtedly fictionalized for the sake of the story, I know for a fact that the main plot points of this film are accurate. And the monologue of the narrator is so incredibly poetic and adds so much to the incredible cinematography that this becomes more of a work of art than entertainment.

"There ain't nothin' worth talkin' about. 

Nobody much worth talkin' to… since he's gone."

Produced by Terrence Malick, I was skeptical of this film, regardless of the fact that it was about my favorite historical figure during the time in his life no one talks about. I am usually not a fan of his style of film making and although he did not direct this, it was shot much like a Malick film.

Perhaps it is my love for Lincoln or perhaps this was just done better than any Malick film, but this was a gorgeous movie. I can't quite pick out what is different from this compared to all of his other movies. Perhaps his protégé just has a better grip than he does at his own style. Maybe it's the lack of pretentiousness that is synonymous with Terrence Malick. Despite what the answer to that is, I love this film. 

"I asked him where'd he get so many blatant lies. 

He told me 'when a story learns you a good lesson, it ain't no lie. 

God tells truths in parables.'"

My Rating: 8/10

The Lazarus Effect (2015)

Directed by David Gelb
Written by Luke Dawson and Jeremy Slater
Starring Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Sarah Bolger, Evan Peters and Donald Glover

A group of medical students discover a way to bring back living things from the dead. But when one of their own dies in an accident, they decide to use the barely tested method on her. She comes back to life, but with unexpected side effects.

Stealing cliches from several sub-genres of horror films, "The Lazarus Effect" has little originality to make itself stand out from the rest. Filled with jump scares, inexplicably dark rooms and predictable plot "twists", you feel as though you've seen this movie hundreds of times as it plays out.

The trailer itself is filled with spoilers, including the deaths of main characters and with a running time of 70 minutes, excluding the credits, the idea seems as though it were rushed. This movie could have been so much more, but the studio involved is the studio responsible for "The Purge" and "Paranormal Activity", two franchises that have more interest in making a quick buck than they do creating quality entertainment.

Of course Olivia Wilde would have demon eyes and

still be gorgeous. What else did you think would happen?

The only positive I can say about this movie is the cast. Olivia Wilde, Donald Glover, Evan Peters and Mark Duplass are some of my favorite actors. And while horror is not a new genre for Wilde and Peters, it's nice to see Duplass and Glover trying something new.

If you're like me and not a huge fan of horror movies, you could probably skip this one. It's nothing special. If you are a horror fanatic, who knows? You might love it.

My Rating: 5.3/10