Movie Review - Cloverfield

Cloverfield (2008)

Starring Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, and Odette Yustman

Directed by Matt Reeves

Surprisingly more effective than I remember, Cloverfield is a rather intense seventy-minute found-footage sci-fi/horror flick.  Found-footage films often feel like a cheap ploy and, frankly, that's also the case here.  Does anyone really think that goofball Hud (T.J. Miller) would carry around a little camcorder throughout the chaos of some monster invasion of New York City?  Seeing as how we live in some uncomfortably weird digital age in which everyone films everything, maybe it's plausible, but it's the one fault I find in all of these types of films.  Come on -- put down the camera already.

That said, once Cloverfield is through detailing all of its requisite background info on its main characters in its opening twenty minutes, director Matt Reeves' flick is non-stop thrilling.  The audience has bought into the plights of these twentysomething folks trying to escape New York City which is under some kind of attack by some type of creature.  Tense, taut, and exciting, Cloverfield is worthy of another look if you haven't seen it in some time...or in case you wanted a refresher before you watch 10 Cloverfield Lane...the review of which just may happen to pop up tomorrow here.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - The Interview

The Interview (2014)

Starring James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, and Diana Bang

Directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen 

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

There were many reviews upon the release of The Interview that spouted, "North Korea got upset over this?"  While I hate to simply repeat them, the fact of the matter is The Interview isn't a good comedy at all.  While perhaps nicely shot, there's very little humor derived from this piece.  When the funniest moments stem from reinterpretations of Katy Perry's popular song "Firework," you know you're in trouble.

Because of all the controversy surrounding the release over the Christmas holiday, nearly everyone knows the premise -- celebrity interviewer Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producing partner Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) secure an exclusive interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (Randall Park).  When the CIA get word of this, they recruit Dave and Aaron to assassinate the ruler which the duo initially take on with much aplomb.  Stretched out over nearly two hours, this premise wears thin quickly despite attempts by Mr. Franco in particular to mine what he can comedically from the script by Mr. Rogen and co-director/screenwriter Evan Goldberg.

Rogen and Goldberg teamed up recently to direct This Is the End, a film which I liked quite a bit, but the duo who have written many other films together can't seem to get past some of the drug-related humor that always has a place in their work.  Granted, The Interview certainly feels a little more mature than their past works, but maturity doesn't necessarily come hand in hand with quality.  This is a one-joke premise that is at its best once Dave and Aaron set foot in North Korea and we discover the Americanized pop sensibilities of Kim Jong-un can be used for comedic effect.  Granted, this also wears thin, but the relationship between Franco and Randall Park (who plays the North Korean dictator with gusto) is at least amusing and shockingly believable given the out-there premise.  While Rogen doesn't stretch himself in the slightest in terms of creating a different character than we've seen from him in the past, at least he doesn't embarrass himself here having some nice scenes with Diana Bang as a North Korean army official.

Still, I didn't laugh one single time during The Interview.  Yes, I may have found the performances all acceptable and the aesthetics surprisingly expensive-looking, but this is a comedy and I didn't laugh once.  And therein lies the problem.  For all those Sony officials to be hacked for an unfunny comedy is a shame.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Bachelorette

Bachelorette (2012)

Starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Rebel Wilson, James Marsden, Kyle Bornheimer, and Adam Scott

Directed by Leslye Headland

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

The comparisons to 2010's hilarious Bridesmaids have to be expected when it comes to a movie like Bachelorette if only because the movie industry doesn't have too many female-centric comedies in the marketplace, and by having both films focus on a wedding further connects the two.  However, Bachelorette skews much darker in its comedy which creates quite a different tint on the whole affair, allowing writer-director Leslye Headland's play-turned-film to not play like a retread of the Oscar-nominated (and RyMickey Award Best Picture Top Ten finisher) Kristen Wiig film.

Whereas the characters in Bridesmaids were in their mid-thirties and genuinely excited about their best friend's wedding, the late twentysomethings in Bachelorette who were friends in high school look at the upcoming nuptials of Becky (Rebel Wilson) with disdain.    Becky was always the fourth wheel in the group known as "The B Faces," and it doesn't sit well that "the fat one" in the quartet is the first one to get married.  Regan (Kirsten Dunst), like Becky, lives in New York City and has kept in touch with the soon-to-be-bride more than the rest of the group, so she gets the role of Maid of Honor.  Outwardly showing enthusiasm, Regan's ice queen, bitchy demeanor comes out right away as she calls her fellow "B Faces" Gena (Lizzy Caplan) and Katie (Isla Fisher) to tell them the news.  As the group convenes for the wedding weekend, they begin to realize that they haven't changed all that much since high school...and maybe that's not such a good thing.  Katie's still a crazy bed-hopping party girl, Gena's cocaine snorting is still a commonplace occurrence, and Regan's bulimic tendencies still rear their ugly head at times.  None of these girls are the epitome of perfection and there are moments where they're all incredibly nasty to one another, but they're still friends despite their sometimes warped view of what being "friends" actually means.  They have a shared history that continues to bring them close together and, as time has passed, they begin to wonder whether it's maybe time that they all begin to grow up a little bit.

This isn't to say that Bachelorette ends on a sensitive up-with-people note.  These characters aren't "changed" in miraculous ways by seeing their child-like mannerisms.  Instead, the movie concludes with them simply glimpsing the fact that it's likely time they try to turn into adults as they head into their third decade and maybe Becky's wedding is the impetus to getting that ball rolling.  Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan succeed the best at coming to this realization for their characters.  Both Dunst and Caplan are given nice arcs and they surprised me by making me give a damn about their rather loathsome characters by the end of the film.  I don't watch Girls on HBO, but I imagine that the reason it's buzzed about (I refuse to say successful because less than two million people watch it per episode and yet it's praised like it's a huge hit) is that it showcases twentysomething women in a light that typically isn't shone on them.  That's definitely the case here and Dunst and Caplan are able to imbue their characters with enough depth to make the film overall a success.

That isn't to say that Ms. Headland's script gives adequate dimensionality to all characters.  Isla Fisher's Katie is decidedly one-note in her party hard attitude and Rebel Wilson's Becky is simply like every other character Wilson has played before meaning she'll make fun of her weight and then act "funny-cute" followed by being "funny-tough."  (Seriously, I just do not get the fawning over her, although I will say Wilson comes off surprisingly good here, it's just that she isn't adding anything new to her repertoire.)  Each lady also has a guy that she hooks up with the night before the wedding and only Adam Scott's Clyde as Gena's high school boyfriend is given anything to work with, but the story isn't really about the men, so I feel like this isn't as much of a letdown.

Qualms aside, however, Bachelorette is a really good film.  It's surprisingly funny, mining laughs from not only pop culture references that are perfect for my age bracket (ie. the age bracket depicted in the film), but also very naturally from the characters themselves.  Thanks to some nice performances from Kirsten Dunst and Lizzy Caplan and a solid (though not perfect) script, this one is absolutely one of the better comedies to come out of 2012...and it's streaming on Netflix...so watch it.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+