The Station Agent (2003)

Written and Directed by Tom McCarthy
Starring Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Williams

When his only friend dies, a man born with dwarfism moves to rural New Jersey to live a life of solitude, only to meet a chatty hot dog vendor and a woman dealing with her own personal loss.

This quirky, independent comedy gives itself a unique voice straight from the get-go. The world of train hobbyists as well as the mockery and ridicule endured from the perspective of the main character for being different makes for an infuriating yet awkwardly comedic picture.

In my life, I don't think I have ever seen a movie filled with this many characters who were terrible at picking up on social cues. There were also an obscene amount of people who had no idea how rude and intrusive they were being to Dinklage's character. It's sad to think there are people in this world like that, who have no idea how to behave around people with dwarfism.

I can't be sure if it was a directing choice or Dinklage's personal choice, but I found his character to be very flat and uninteresting in the beginning. He grew into a more three-dimensional character as the film went on, however, I found the enthusiasm to which Bobby Cannavale's character had wanted to get to know him was forced. Perhaps with him being a New Yorker stuck in a small, lowly populated town was enough to make him want to speak with anyone, regardless of mutual interest.

Strangeness and eccentricities aside, this was a great movie about two lonely people who wanted friends and one lonely person who didn't know he needed friends. It is as heartwarming as it is quirky, making for an entertaining film.

My Rating: 7.5/10

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