Magic Magic (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 17, 2013)

I didn’t really want to review this film. Primarily because it seems to be polarizing, and no matter what I say about it, I think a number of people are going to hate it. I went into it thinking it was something quite different than it was, and I ended up enjoying it. I say this because it made me feel uncomfortable and disturbed in a way that few movies have done. The 2000 Jeff Daniels film Chasing Sleep made me feel that way. I like movies that make me feel uncomfortable and disturbed. As far as I’m concerned, the worst thing a movie can do is make you feel ambivalent. Continue reading →

Jess + Moss (2011)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 19, 2013)

Last night’s film was unlike anything I’ve seen, at least in recent memory. It was a popular entry at Sundance a couple of years ago, and a decidedly unconventional one. It doesn’t really have a plot…or a traditional narrative structure (more on that in a minute)…or more than the two title characters. It’s a series of loosely connected snippets. (I can’t even call them “vignettes,” as some reviewers have.) They all deal with the relationship between 18-year-old Jess and 12-year-old Moss, whose parents were best friends. Some of the snippets are shot traditionally, some are shot to give a slow-motion, dreamlike feel, and some are shot with a cassette-tape voice over from various characters. Almost all of it takes place in rural Kentucky, where Jess and Moss seem to have the run of the place. Continue reading →

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 20, 2013)

SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS is Martin McDonagh’s 2012 dark comedy/thriller. It’s really an intriguing name, but I’m not sure the film lived up to it. It’s not that there weren’t seven psychopaths actually in it. (I’m pretty sure there were more than seven.) It’s that it seemed a little disjointed to me; an interesting title, with a not-as-interesting follow-through. In some ways it’s a “meta”-film, about the film within a film that Colin Farrell’s character, Marty, is writing. And after a while, I thought it was just a touch intrusive. Continue reading →

Scenic Route (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – September 27, 2013)

I know I gave up my little reviews after the summer ended, but I thought I’d just mention this film briefly. If you ever thought that Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler couldn’t do drama, you might give this one a try. It surprised me a bit. It’s slow moving, and doesn’t go much beyond two characters sorting their lives out, but I found it a little touching, and by the end found myself turning the whole story over again in my mind. It’s the kind of movie you don’t see advertised much, and after you see it, you wonder why you’ve never heard of it. (running time 1:22)

UPDATE: in going back to add the links and such, I see that the Metacritic score is a 34 (out of 100). I’m still standing by my review, primarily because a) IMDB has it at a 6.5, and the written reviews are mostly positive, and b) I can’t remember enough of the film to contradict the critics.

The Conjuring (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 8, 2013)

As I said to a friend recently, “The Conjuring was so creepy, I nearly conjured a load in my shorts.” I was kidding, but only just. Horror is one of those genres in which there’s such a glut of options that most of them are bound to suck. This isn’t one of them. James Wan keeps proving that he knows how to create films that scare us. I feel like he’s moved away from the sheer gore of his Saw series (which frankly became cartoonish after a while), and found a much deeper creepy. His previous film Insidious was more frightening, I think (although not by much), but this one is more mature, and doesn’t have the third act issues that the former had. Continue reading →

Liberal Arts (2012)

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(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)

Gravity (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – October 17, 2013)

Gravity. I felt sick to my stomach most of the time, but it was quite good. I thought it got a little hackneyed near the end, but not enough to rub me the wrong way. Sandy looks pretty damn good for nearly 50, too!

I don’t know as it warrants the 8.6 it’s got at IMDB, but it’s definitely a must-see in the theater. (NOTE: I didn’t see it in 3-D, although I might go see it again, just to get that experience.) (running time 1:31)

UPDATE: I gave it a 7 at IMDB.

Mud (2012)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 3, 2013)

So, I think I have the second addition to my top ten list (along with Jagten) in Mud. It’s the setting and the performances here that sell it. All the actors were completely believable, I thought, especially Tye Sheridan, but it’ll be a crime if McConaughey doesn’t get nominated for an Oscar/Golden Globe. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him this good, if ever. Dazed and Confused, maybe, but that was an entirely different kind of role. Even the bit players (Joe Don Baker, Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, et. al) were outstanding. Continue reading →

Now You See Me (2013)

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(Originally from Facebook – August 3, 2013)

Sigh. I wanted to like this one. A caper film. With magic. Should have been right up my alley. But I forgot about the Eisenberg Principle, which is that whenever I see Jesse Eisenberg in a film, I have an overwhelming desire to punch him in the face…repeatedly. Here, he was at his face-punchingly worst. Add to that a lack of verisimilitude, a twist that you ought to see coming well before it arrives, and a completely unnecessary (and undeveloped) romantic subplot, and I was underwhelmed. It did have potential, but to my mind, the final third went off the rails. It’s getting a good score at IMDB (7.4), but maybe that’s just misdirection. 😉 I’m giving it a 4.5, with the expectation that many people are going to disagree. (running time 1:55)