Ma

Ma (2019)

Starrring Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Corey Fogelmanis, McKaley Miller, Gianni Paolo, Dante Brown, and Luke Evans

Directed by Tate Taylor

Written by Scotty Landes

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: D

Movie Review - Nerve

Nerve (2016)

Starring Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Colson Baker, Emily Meade, Miles Heizer, and Juliette Lewis

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

A mindless teen thriller, Nerve conjures up its titular online game in which players must perform increasingly more intense dares in order to earn money.  This community of players and watchers grow to frighteningly crazed proportions one evening in New York City and things get out of control very quickly.  At the center of the game is high school senior Vee (Emma Roberts) who is anything but a risk taker.  However, with the school year winding down and her good friend Sydney (Emily Meade) taking part in the game, Vee takes a chance and joins the game one night.  Her first dare is to kiss a random stranger in a local diner.  The recipient of her smooch is Ian (Dave Franco) who also happens to be taking part in the game and the two team up to try and get as far in the game as they can.

Taking place over the course of one evening, Nerve is quickly paced and doesn't overstay its welcome with its quick ninety minute runtime.  It tries much too hard at the end to create a social commentary about our technology-addicted society and the group-think snap judgment bully mentality that media websites like Twitter bring to the table and that's where it falters a bit when it nears its conclusion.  Still, for strictly entertainment purposes, Nerve is moderately successful.  Emma Roberts and Dave Franco are decent together and if you're in the mood for a throwaway teen flick, Nerve works in that regard.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - August: Osage County

August: Osage County (2013)

Starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson, Juliette Lewis, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregory, Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Misty Upham, and Sam Shepard

Directed by John Wells

I must admit that I avoided August: Osage County in theaters because I had a disappointing experience with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play upon which the film is based.  Four years ago, I remember heading up to Philadelphia on my birthday excited to see both the Phillies play a day game (this was when they were still moderately good, whereas games now are sometimes greeted with exasperation when I have to go) and then go see August: Osage County on stage at night.  The play had garnered gushing rave reviews and won a slew of awards when it had played in New York City, so I told my family that it had to be good.  It wasn't (and my review reiterated this).  I was greeted with a three hour-and-twenty minute soap opera that seemingly kept trying to one-up itself with ridiculous "surprises."  Needless to say, this previous experience with playwright Tracy Letts' material didn't have me awaiting with bated breath his re-working of his own play for the silver screen.  Color me surprised then when I finally put the Blu-Ray into the player and discovered that Letts pared down his play by over an hour and created something that is still steeped in GREAT melodrama, but works a bit better on the screen than it did on the stage.

With a huge esteemed acting ensemble in tow, August: Osage County tells the story of the Weston family whose patriarch Beverly (Sam Shepard) has gone missing at the film's start.  Ailing matriarch Violet (Meryl Streep) calls her three daughters -- Barbara, Ivy, and Karen (Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson, and Juliette Lewis, respectively) -- back to their old Oklahoma home to help their cancer-stricken mother find their father.  Taking place almost entirely in and around their childhood home, the three daughters find themselves having to deal with their abrasive and over-medicated mother, her somewhat crazy, though lovable sister Mattie Fae (Margo Martindale), and their own significant others all of whom are creating trouble for their own personal lives.

This is a film that despite being nearly balanced in terms of the gender make-up of the cast is all about the women.  While Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Chris Cooper, and Benedict Cumberbatch may try to act like they're important, the core relationship this film is focusing upon is that of Violet and her three daughters and all four of the actresses portraying those characters hold their own.  Of course, Meryl Streep is quite good, playing the incredibly off-putting and sharp-tongued no-nonsense Violet.  In my opinion, however, she's upstaged by Julia Roberts who brings a quiet resilience and strength to Barbara, a character who, in my opinion, is just as much a lead as Violet despite the fact that the film and play may try and convince you otherwise.  Unfortunately (and this isn't Roberts' fault as I felt this was an issue in the theatrical production as well), the character of Barbara is a tiny bit flawed.  [Moderate Spoiler:  Tracy Letts attempts to make us feel that Barbara is "becoming" her mother in terms of personality, words, and actions, but I never was convinced of that.  Despite literally being told, "You're becoming our mother," Barbara is much more grounded than we ever see Violet and, I believe being the oldest daughter, she feels simply that she needs to smack a little bit of sense into her sisters considering that she's had her own troubles and doesn't want to see her siblings fall down a dark path.]

August: Osage County isn't a perfect film, but its flaws abound from the Pulitzer Prize-winning (for some reason) script.  This is absolutely a convoluted family soap opera -- epic almost in its laughable plot twists at times.  Still, thanks to a fantastic cast of actors -- not a single one of whom disappoints in the slightest -- they elevate this sometimes silly material and make us give a damn about this crazy Weston family.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - The Switch

The Switch (2010)

Starring Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Thomas Robinson, Patrick Wilson, Juliette Lewis, and Jeff Goldblum

Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck

If I were to tell you that the synopsis of a movie was that a woman decides to artificially inseminate herself only to have the sperm from the supposed dreamboat donor be replaced by her pessimistic male best friend, you'd assume that the film was a wacky comedy perhaps in the vein of a Farrelly Brothers flick.  Oddly enough, The Switch has that exact premise, and, while it has its humorous moments, it's surprisingly touching and sweet -- something I wasn't expecting in the slightest.

Worried about the aging process, Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) is determined to have a child before it's too late.  Not finding the man of her dreams on the dating circuit, Kassie eventually meets the married and handsome Roland (Patrick Wilson), a nice guy college professor who agrees to donate his sperm to Kassie since he and his wife have hit hard financial times.  This whole process greatly upsets Kassie's best friend Wally (Jason Bateman) who has always harbored a crush for Kassie.  Nevertheless, Kassie throws a party at which Roland will leave his donation, followed by Kassie hopefully impregnating herself.  A drunk Wally comes across Roland's sperm in the bathroom and accidentally drops the "deposit" down the sink.  Not wanting to ruin Kassie's night, in an intoxicated haze, Wally decides to replace Roland's sperm with his own.  Needless to say, Kassie gets pregnant (by what she believes to be Roland's sperm) and moves out of New York City to be closer to her parents in the Midwest.

Reading the above, I can absolutely understand why no one would want to watch The Switch.  It just sounds stupidly godawful.  However, about thirty minutes in, the movie jumps ahead in time by seven years and finds Kassie returning to NYC with her six year-old son Sebastian (Thomas Robinson), and it is at this point that the movie turns over a new leaf.  It becomes a rather heartfelt film about Wally trying to become a better man so that he can be a better example for his best friend's son (for, you see, at this point, even Wally can't remember what he did that fateful night).  Wally sees a lot of himself in Sebastian and despite his best efforts, Wally grows to love the kid.

I realize that now I'm just making the movie out to sound all mushy and sentimental -- and it is -- but, in the end, it's a much better film than its first act makes it out to be.  Bateman is actually quite good once he moves past his character's first act bitterness and Aniston is perfectly acceptable (although she could do this role in her sleep).  That said, part of the reason the film succeeds so well in its final hour is because of young Thomas Robinson who plays Sebastian as a perfectly believable neurotic miniature doppelganger of Bateman's Wally.  Once his character makes an appearance, the movie's tone changes into something that works really well, settling into a tale that's strong on the heart that its first act is decidedly lacking.

So when you look at the poster above, look less at the disgusted look Jason Bateman is giving at Patrick Wilson's Cup O' Sperm and instead look at the byline that tells you that this film is brought to you by the people behind Juno and Little Miss Sunshine.  In the end, it's more like those two flicks than any of the ads would have led you to believe.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Conviction

Conviction (2010)

Starring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Peter Gallagher, and Juliette Lewis

Directed by Tony Goldwyn

There's nothing wrong necessarily with being a by-the-books drama.  Sure, it may not win you accolades, but sometimes a movie doesn't call for tricks or surprises.  Conviction, a true life drama about a man wrongly accused of murder and the sister who vowed to free him, doesn't have any tricks up its sleeve.  Unfortunately, it also doesn't have any emotional drive up its sleeve either and that ultimately knocks what is a perfectly acceptable film down a couple of notches.

In 1980 Massachusetts, a young woman is murdered and Kenny Waters (Sam Rockwell) is taken in for questioning related to the crime.  While nothing happens for two years, in 1982, Kenny is arrested and convicted of the murder.  Knowing in her heart that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank) decides to head to law school to get a degree to help her brother appeal the ruling.  Things aren't easy for her and she finds herself having to jump over many legal hurdles, but, let's be honest here, there really wouldn't be a movie if things didn't turn out for the best.

And it's that inevitability that is part of the reason there isn't a huge emotional arc in play here.  To me, director Tony Goldwyn is to blame because he fails to let the strong brother-sister bond between Betty Anne and Kenny emotionally grab the viewer.  Yes, he tries, but there was nothing there to pull me in.  Instead, I was watching a perfectly adequate drama that felt a little more distant than it should.

That criticism said, all of the actors here are quite good.  Hilary Swank is perfectly suited for the working class, slightly rough-around-the-edges Betty Anne, and Sam Rockwell plays Kenny surprisingly tenderly  with enough hints of anger to make him a possible suspect.  Minnie Driver as Betty Anne's friend, Melissa Leo as the female cop attempting to make a name for herself with Waters' case, and Juliette Lewis as a witness for the prosecution all make the most of their roles as well.

Conviction is certainly a decent drama and one that was worth watching.  It's just that it could have been better had the director somehow created a more emotionally charged relationship between all parties involved.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Christmas Movie a Day #5
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Doris Roberts, and Randy Quaid
Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik

While it certainly has its flaws and it's not the best in the Vacation franchise (that honor goes to the original Vacation with its trip to Wally World), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is still a Christmas classic. I hadn't seen it in several years and it still holds up.

Clark Griswold (Chase) just wants to have a nice Christmas holiday with the family. Unfortunately, when both sets of in-laws arrive, havoc ensues. A simple premise with lots of nice gags. Let's be honest -- the scene where Clark goes to the lingerie counter and gets incredibly flustered by the buxom employee ("It's nipply out there...could it be any hooter in here?") is a classic comedy bit. I laugh every time I watch that scene...nothing wrong with some cleverly placed sexual innuendo.

The real problem with the movie is that it can't quite sustain itself over the 100 minute running time in terms of humor. It's not that it really lulls at any point, but there are just some bits that don't quite work as well as others...in particular the whole Julia Louis-Dreyfuss yuppie next-door neighbor scenes (they nearly all fall flat).

Still, there's something really "nice" about this movie...the focus on spending time with the family (however chaotic or dysfunctional it may be) is what resonates the most and it's not a bad thing to bring to the forefront during the hectic season.

The RyMickey Rating: B
The Christmas Spirit Scale: 9/10
The Christmas Spirit Scale is a totally pointless rating that is simply my feeling about how "Christmas-y" the movie felt to me)