Movie Review - Margaret

Margaret (2011)

Starring Anna Paquin, J. Smith-Cameron, Mark Ruffalo, Jeannie Berlin, Jean Reno, Allison Janney, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Broderick, and Matt Damon

Directed by Kenneth Lonergan

2006 was when Margaret was made.  2006.  That means this film was delayed five years before its release which is typically never a good sign.  However, after this film ended up being the number one movie of 2011 on an awards site I frequent and enjoy reading, I was looking forward to seeing this.  Instead of being treated to what some have called the best of last year, I slogged through 150 minutes of an odd tale with tons of loose strands filled oftentimes with bad acting, stilted dialog, and an overall stuffiness that never fades away.  I simply can't fathom that the director's original cut was over three hours.

Maybe I just don't get it, though.  There's supposed to be some deep connection to 9/11 here, but that just flew right over this reviewer's head.  Then again, lots of things in this movie just boggled my mind.  The story itself is relatively simple and the fact that it's stretched out to an epic length is, to me, simply a directorial folly.  While out on the streets of New York City looking for a cowboy hat for a trip to a ranch with her father, teenage Lisa (Anna Paquin) witnesses a tragic bus accident that kills a woman who just so happened to be crossing the street.  She can't help but feel that she is partially responsible for the event, feeling that she distracted the driver (Mark Ruffalo).  Lisa is a spoiled brat whose mom Joan (J. Smith-Cameron) is a burgeoning Off-Broadway actress and their relationship was already on shaky ground prior to the accident, but now it's falling off the deep end with both females at each others' throats.  Lisa eventually decides to try and seek some type of redemption for the woman who was killed by attempting to legally go after the bus driver, but that's the extent of the "plot" of the film.

Beyond what was laid out to you, the film meanders through a bunch of subplots that don't go anywhere and don't add anything to the story.  Joan starts dating some foreign guy (Jean Reno) who loves opera.  Lisa decides to lose her virginity not to the nice guy who genuinely cares for her, but to the druggie "cool" artist (Kieran Culkin) who deflowers her and then is completely abandoned by writer-director Kenneth Lonergan for the rest of the movie.  Lisa flirts with her math teacher (Matt Damon) which causes their relationship to slowly shift to shakier ground, leading to absolutely one of the worst scenes I've ever seen in a movie in which -- SPOILER ALERT -- in the film's final moments, Lisa rushes up to him and says that she's had an abortion which we have no clue is true (and if it is true was he responsible for it?) or simply retaliation for something.  This was so out of the blue that my eyes rolled and I let out a huge guffaw.  END SPOILER ALERT

Margaret just goes on and on, not knowing when to end.  It certainly doesn't help that it's peppered with uneven performances which are likely in part disappointing thanks to some of the most awkward dialog I've heard in recent years.  Anna Paquin -- even a "six years ago Anna Paquin" -- just plays the high school Lisa so awkwardly it's uncomfortable.  Her opening scenes lacked any modicum of believability that I was immediately disconnected from the film.  Admittedly, she does get better as the film progresses, but I still found her very off-putting.  It doesn't help that her character's motives for seeking retaliation against the bus driver are barely laid out and seem selfish rather than selfless.  Jeannie Berlin who plays the dead woman's best friend is playing things very naturalistic...almost too much so for a movie.  I realize that's an awkwardly-worded criticism, but I have no other way to describe it.  There were some emotional moments where I thought Ms. Berlin was rather brilliant and very effective, but in the simpler scenes where she's asked to recite basic dialog, I found her odd and almost too harsh to watch.  Similarly, the rest of the cast was just misguided by Lonergan.  His way of writing just didn't click for me.

And the less said about his direction and his lack of skills in the editing department the better.  Margaret was a real disappointment for me.  It's not even one of those movies that I can say was an admirable failure.  I just didn't get what I was supposed to take away from it.  It's a very basic story drawn out to a nearly epic length that simply doesn't work.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Scream 4

Scream 4 (2011)

Starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Kieran Culkin, Alison Brie, Mary McDonnell, and Marley Shelton

Directed by Wes Craven

I don't know if I'm just tired of the series or if it's the fact that the new Ghostface's motives in Scream 4 seem even more ludicrous than those of Scream 3's killer, but this latest installment in Wes Craven's self-referential franchise is a letdown (and even moreso since we had to wait over a decade to get this to the screen).  Was the world asking for another Scream flick?  Probably not, but I do feel a slight connection to this series simply because it was the first horror franchise that I latched onto in my youth.  Teens in the 80s had the Elm Streets and Jason and Michael Myers to think fondly of, but as a 90s teen, this felt like my series...and plus, for this burgeoning film buff, Scream began as a series that paid homage to its horror flick predecessors which was something I greatly appreciated.  Unfortunately, the allure has faded and the disappointment of Scream 3 is further continued with the fourth flick in the series.

Ten years have passed since the conclusion of the Hollywood-based last installment and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has written her autobiography and is returning to Woodsboro, the scene of the crimes in the original Scream, on her book tour.  Dewey (David Arquette) has become the local sheriff and he and "retired journalist" Gale Withers (Courtney Cox) are happily married.  As soon as Sidney arrives, young high schoolers begin to bite the dust at the hands of a new Ghostface Killer and Sidney, Dewey, and Gale must do what they can in order to save the community and track down the slasher.

Unfortunately, nothing new is brought to the table here.  Scream 2 followed Syd to college and Scream 3 (although not nearly as good as the first two flicks in the series) changed the scene to Hollywood, but returning to Woodsboro and essentially copying the exact same storyline of the first film just makes Scream 4 flounder aimlessly with nothing really driving the plot along.  The new characters introduced including Emma Roberts as Syd's cousin Jill, Hayden Panettiere as Jill's sassy friend, and Kieran Culkin as a high school film geek just seemed liked doppelgangers of characters in the first film.  All were certainly adequate (and the acting in all the Scream flicks is always much better than most horror flicks), but their characters were bland and I never was able to connect with any of them or any of the other new folks introduced.

As mentioned above, once the Ghostface killer is revealed, it was met by me with an eye roll.  The motive (while perhaps fitting in this day and age) isn't solid enough to base a whole movie around and it ends up being a disappointment.  That said, I did think that the final scenes after the reveal were quite tense and helped the film end on a somewhat better note than I expected.  Still, I can't help but think that Scream 4 is just a pale imitation of the original flick and, although this goes against popular opinion since many think the third flick is the worst in the series, this fourth installment is the lowest on the totem pole for me.  I'm sure that if a Scream 5 were made I'd give it a go, but the expectations would certainly be mighty low.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Aubrey Plaza, Mae Whitman, Anna Kendrick, and Jason Schwartzman

Directed by Edgar Wright

I'm not a video game guy.  [When I was younger, those gaming systems weren't allowed in my household...until my brothers came along.  The first child was more protected, I guess.]  They're simply not my cup of tea.  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is (of course) a movie, but it's also like a giant real-life video game that, much to my pleasant surprise, is packed with visual pizzazz and style that makes this film a unique experience.

All you need to know about the film is that Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls in love with really cool chick Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who just happens to have seven evil exes with superpowers.  In order to be with Ramona, Scott must utilize his knowledge of comic books, indie music, and video games to defeat the exes and win himself the girl.

What makes the film ingenious is director and co-screenwriter Edgar Wright's visual style.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Wright has created a movie version of a video game/comic book complete with pop-up high scores, split screens, and old school Batman-esque "THWAP!"s and "BAM!"s running across the screen whenever someone gets hit.  At first, I thought maybe the film would fall into the problem I have with a movie like 300 which I felt looked too fake and screamed "LOOK AT ME!  DON'T I LOOK AWESOME?"  However, somehow Wright manages to make the flick never be just about the visuals because the characters are actually pretty darn nifty, too.

There isn't a single character or actor that I disliked in this film.  From all of Ramona's exes to all of Scott's friends, the characters are surprisingly unique (even though many are based off of standard "indie/grunge" clichés).  To accompany the characters, the acting across the board is top notch, with Wright bringing together one of the best acting ensembles this year.  There's not even really a point in delving into any specifics because I really liked every single person in the cast.

I'd like to say that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World isn't all that ingenious simply because it has a basis in video games -- an entertainment genre that just doesn't do a thing for me.   But there's no denying that I found the whole film incredibly clever and a joy to watch...even with the presence of Michael Cera whom I typically despise.  Even though this review falls into my typical "I don't know how to write incredibly positive reviews" posts, don't let my lack of adequate words deter you from watching this flick.  

The RyMickey Rating:  A-