Movie Review - Evil Dead

Evil Dead (2013)

Starring Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore

Directed by Fede Alvarez

I must admit right off the bat that I've never seen the original Evil Dead.  I tried to watch it several years ago, but its corny nature was a bit of a turn-off at the time.  With that in mind, I watched the 2013 remake without any preconceived notions and I found first time director and co-screenwriter Fede Alvarez's film a scary gore-fest with many an uncomfortable cringing moment which, ultimately, makes this type of film a success.

The story is incredibly simplistic -- a group of five twentysomethings head to a secluded cabin wherein one of them accidentally conjures up demons which begin to possess them one by one, turning them into evil human-killing zombies.  We're not looking at fancy storytelling here, but what we are seeing is gore galore done so in a way that genuinely had me uneasy...in a good horror film way, if that makes sense.  The sense of tense discomfort that the director brings to the table is perfectly suited for the flick and, considering this is his first venture into feature film making, that's not an easy task to accomplish.  Aided by actors who are all better than horror films like this typically have any right to have in them, Evil Dead ends up being a surprising solid entry for me as I round up my 2013 film-watching.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009)

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Starring Julianne Nicholson, John Krasinski, Chris Messina, Lou Taylor Pucci, Dominic Cooper, and Timothy Hutton
Directed by John Krasinski

I didn't get it. Not a bit.

There's this chick, Sara, who is interviewing men for some reason (disclosed only in the film's final seconds for some reason), and during these sessions, they reveal their innermost thoughts. Women. Sex. Their fathers. Their mothers. Nothing is "off limits." And nothing is entertaining.

It's essentially a series of monologues full of arty, smarter-than-thou mumbo jumbo that make no sense in terms of a "movie." Maybe as a play this could be successful, but it falls flat here.

Director John Krasinski (who also wrote the screenplay) has the film jump around in time. I'm not sure having the film play chronologically would have made any difference, though. He never once allows the viewer to connect with Sara or these subjects.

Pretty awful stuff.

The RyMickey Rating: D-

Movie Review - The Answer Man (2009)

The Answer Man

Starring Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Taylor Pucci, Kat Dennings, and Olivia Thirlby

Directed by John Hindman

Continuing on with my thoughts on movies nobody's heard of...

Set in Philadelphia (which is likely why it played the Ritz and nowhere else), The Answer Man tells the tale of Arlen Faber (Daniels), a writer whose only book - Me and God - became an international bestseller, catapulting him to the top of the chart for years. While Arlen is a self-help guru for many, he secludes himself in his home, avoiding calls from his editor (the surprisingly charming Nora Dunn) who is asking him to help her out promoting the 20th anniversary of his book. Arlen wants nothing to do with it and his curmudgeonly attitude isn't helped by severe back pain.

One day he decides he's had enough with his injury and he heads to a chiropractor (Graham). While there, he begins to fall for the charming young practitioner, Elizabeth, and they begin to date each other. Additionally, there's another side story with a young twentysomething guy (Pucci) who just got out of rehab and is finding it difficult to stay alcohol-free.

So, the summary above seems like a lot of nothing. Two very disparate stories that don't really make a lot of sense together. And you'd be right. The first 30 minutes of this flick play like a slapsticky comedy and they just plain don't work. Somehow, though, a third of the way through this movie, it won me over. I don't know why (although I'm sure the cute and winning Lauren Graham had something to do with it), but I ended up really liking this rather simple movie.

Jeff Daniels is the kind of actor that you don't really remember in anything, but you just tend to find him a likable guy on the screen. Lauren Graham is easy on the eyes and perfectly cast here. Lou Taylor Pucci (an actor I'd never heard of before this year who's now been in three 2009 movies that I've seen) was fine, but his role could've been excised without causing much damage to the plot. And that's the real problem with the movie -- a bunch could've been removed without causing harm to the crux of the story.

Still, it's worth a free stream on Netflix if you've got 90 minutes to spare and want a "nice" movie to watch. With the exception of a few F-bombs here and there, it's something you could easily watch with your grandmother and not be embarrassed.

Also, side note: Tony Hale of Arrested Development fame has a role in this (I know that statement just got one person that reads this to watch it).

The RyMickey Rating: C