Romance

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

Director: Susan Johnson

When working within a genre, the target for a film generally seems to be “the same…but different.” I always take that to mean that while a film may seem familiar and comfortable, there’s a newness to it that makes us feel as though we’re watching that particular kind of film for the first time. I think Susan Johnson’s film To All the Boys I’ve loved Before gets it just right. A Netflix original, there’s nothing here that breaks new ground. Change the clothing and slang and this could be an ‘80s John Hughes film. (Sixteen Candles is even referenced in the film.) Yet it’s a heartwarming film that succeeds in spite of its devotion to the genre, rather than because of it.

Continue reading →

Liberal Arts (2012)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmty4njk3mje2n15bml5banbnxkftztcwnzg5otiyoa-_v1_sy1000_cr006751000_al_

(Originally from Facebook – September 28, 2013)

Yes, another one. I can’t help myself. It’s a sickness.
Things I learned by watching this film:
1. Actor/Director Josh Radnor will have a career beyond “How I Met Your Mother”‘s Ted Moseby. (Although, since he plays a character very similar to Moseby, it may be on the director’s side of the camera.)
2. Elizabeth Olsen is clearly the most talented of the Olsen sisters, and I’m predicting she’s going to have a fairly successful road ahead of her. (Go see Martha Marcy May Marlene if you haven’t already.)
3. In small doses, Zac Efron is not bad. Good, even.
4. Richard Jenkins is good in everything.
5. This film has been overlooked. (By me, for sure, but a lot of others, too, I bet.)
6. Olsen, although sort of plain-looking, can be sexy as hell.
7. I’m not tired of this genre of film.

I could probably go on, but let me just say that it’s a sweet little independent film that, if you can get past seeing Radnor as his “HIMYM” character, will provide you with an evening’s entertainment without having to resort to explosions, cussin’, or zombies. Olsen is really the gem here, but the rest of the cast does a good job, too. (running time 1:37)

Don Jon (2013)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmtqxntc3ndm2mf5bml5banbnxkftztcwnzq5ntq3oq-_v1-_cr2828-64999389648437512711991-0000305175781_sy1000_cr006381000_al_

(Originally from Facebook – December 21, 2013)

Terribly disappointed with this. I’m a huge JGL fan, and have liked pretty much everything he’s been in…until now. Don’t know where the IMDB 7.0 rating is coming from. (Also, STILL don’t understand the Scarlett Johansson thing…)* (running time 1:30)

* I ended up giving it a 4 on IMDB. And it’s almost four years later, and still don’t get the appeal of Johansson.

Parker (2013)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmtk4mzm2ntq1nl5bml5banbnxkftztcwodiyody1oa-_v1_sy1000_sx675_al_

(Originally from Facebook – July 26, 2013)

Tonight’s fare: Yet another incarnation of Donald E. Westlake’s Parker character. Although this one is based on a different novel than Point Break and Payback, there isn’t much noticeable difference here. A standard revenge film. Parker gets screwed over and left for dead, but he doesn’t stay that way long. Continue reading →

Frances Ha (2012)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5boty0ndq2nzq2n15bml5banbnxkftztcwmtu0otkwoq-_v1_sy1000_cr006371000_al_

(Originally from Facebook – December 26, 2013)

I really wanted to love this. I even thought, based on what I had read about it, that it might be a top 10 contender. Greta Gerwig is always good, and so appealing, and I think it was her performance that made the movie bearable for me. But I also think it has a very particular audience, and I’m not it. My feeling is that the people who will love this are, not surprisingly, the same sort of people that populate the film. It wasn’t horrible, just…disappointing. IMDB: 7.4. Me: 5.0. (running time 1:26)

That’s What I Am (2011)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bnji1mda1mdezof5bml5banbnxkftztcwmtcwmzawnq-_v1_sy1000_cr006741000_al_

So, okay–I’ve been watching movies, but been falling down on the job of reviewing them. I thought that in order to keep things moving here, I’d post some of the old Facebook reviews I did, as they come up in my history. In most cases, they’re not as long as my usual ones, and I don’t think I always give them a number rating, either. I’d do so now, but I don’t even remember some of them that well anymore. Take the case of this one. I obviously liked it, but can barely remember it.

“The Wonder Years” meets an “Afterschool Special.” It was a little syrupy, and a couple of times I wondered which of those two it wanted to be. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. We’ve all had our Mary Clears, Mr. Simons, and Big G’s, I suppose. It’s not terribly deep or complicated, and the lessons presented are done so in fairly broad strokes, but it’s a good movie for a weekend afternoon…and you can watch it with your kids! (Middle-school age or above, I would think.) IMDB puts it at a 6.8, which is right about where I’d put it, too. (running time 1:41)

La La Land (2016)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmzuzndm2nzm2mv5bml5banbnxkftztgwntm3ntg4ote-_v1_sy1000_sx675_al_

This film makes me really miss Debbie Reynolds. Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) functions here like Tarantino—patching together scenes and nods to the great films of the genre, hoping that those who aren’t familiar with them will find them fresh and charming, and those who are familiar will revel in the nostalgia. Unfortunately, it ends up feeling like a pastiche of clichés. I found it to be nearly devoid of charm, with the exception of two numbers—the couple’s first dance together, and Stone’s audition song. Continue reading →

The Lobster (2015)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bndq1nde5nzq1nf5bml5banbnxkftztgwnza5otm2nte-_v1_sy1000_cr007051000_al_

I’m not sure how to describe this film, except maybe to say imagine if Logan’s Run was written by Woody Allen and directed by Terry Gilliam (or maybe Wes Anderson). Colin Farrell, who I normally don’t think much of, gives a nice, understated performance here as David, a newly-single man from a mildly Orwellian future, who is shipped off to stay at a hotel (Room 101!) where denizens are all single, and must find a mate within 45 days or be turned into an animal of their choosing (in David’s case, a lobster) and released into the forest. He’s got nerdy glasses and a paunch, and (perhaps because he’s relying less on his looks) I don’t think I’ve seen him better. Continue reading →

Sing Street (2016)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmjezoda3mdcxml5bml5banbnxkftztgwodgxndk3nze-_v1_sy1000_sx675_al_

Conor: “We’re just starting. We need to learn how to play.”
Brendan: “Did the Sex Pistols know how to play? You don’t need to know how to play. Who are you, Steely Dan?”

Sing Street reminds me of what The Commitments would be if the band members were still in high school, and instead of being inspired by Motown soul, they were inspired by Eighties new wave bands like Duran Duran and The Cure. Continue reading →

Gambit (2012)

/ Shawn / Leave a comment

mv5bmje3nzu5mduzmf5bml5banbnxkftztcwnjm4mdq0oa-_v1_

It’s amazing how much easier it is to see the flaws in a remake when you watch it back to back with the original. I just HAD to go out and watch the “modern” version of the film, with Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth in the roles originated by Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine, respectively. That previous sentence should actually clue you in on the first flaw. Colin Firth is a good actor, but just not right for this role, at least the way it’s written. But whoever thought Cammy would be a viable substitute for Shirley should probably find a new way of making a living. Oh, I’ve seen her do some decent work, but again, not for what this role needs. But all the blame can’t be put on them. The Coens. Damn your spotty genius! They have a penchant for making those “quirky” films, and when they work, they work brilliantly (Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, Fargo). When they don’t….The Hudsucker Proxy.  (“You know…for kids!”) Continue reading →