Greta

Greta (2019)

Starring Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore, and Stephen Rea

Directed by Neil Jordan

Written by Ray Wright and Neil Jordan

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  B

The Miseducation of Cameron Post

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)

Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck, Owen Campbell, and Jennifer Ehle

Directed by Desiree Akhavan

Written by Desiree Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Dark Places

Dark Places (2015)

Starring Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks, Corey Stall, Tye Sheridan, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Drea de Matteo

Directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner

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

Gone Girl is perhaps my favorite film of the decade thus far -- a brilliant Hitchcockian piece of cinema crafted with a deft hand from director David Fincher and a biting screenplay from Gillian Flynn adapting her own novel.  So, when I saw that another novel of Flynn's was getting a feature film adaptation, I had to check it out.  Disappointingly, there was a reason for Dark Places to get an extremely limited release last summer as writer-director Gilles Paquet-Brenner is unable to create any modicum of suspense with his story or direction thereof.

When Libby Day was eight years old, she saw her mother and sisters be brutally murdered in their Kansas house.  Libby's testimony put her brother (Tye Sheridan as a youth, Corey Stall as an adult) behind bars for the crime, but thirty years later, an adult Libby (Charlize Theron) is compelled to reexamine the murders thanks to a young true crime "enthusiast" (Nicholas Hoult), realizing that her memories may not be accurate depictions of that horrific day.

Ultimately, Dark Places fails at creating a compelling storyline.  At its center, Charlize Theron's Libby lacks the emotional gravitas to be placed front and center due not so much to Theron's performance, but moreso because of the character's forlorn and malaise-filled life.  Sure, Libby has certainly been through a lot and has every right to lead a depressing life given her past, but her journey becomes tiresome rather quickly and lacks a payoff that excites.  The twisted humor and sensibility that runs rampant through Gone Girl and elevates it beyond the typical "thriller" is nonexistent here.  Instead, we're treated to a bland story with even blander characters and even blander twists and turns.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Clouds of Sils Maria

Clouds of Sils Maria (2015)

Starring Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloë Grace Moretz

Directed by Olivier Assayas

There is an enormous level of pretentiousness that runs rampant through Clouds of Sils Maria.  That's not necessarily a death knell for director-screenwriter Olivier Assayas' film, but it does create some issues in terms of the audience connecting with the characters who perhaps may have interesting stories to tell, but are oftentimes burdened with dialog-driven scenes that reek of pompousness.

Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is a famous movie star who started her career by starring in a play by (fictional) Swiss playwright Wilhelm Melchior.  The play -- Maloja Snake -- revolves around the tempestuous relationship between the fiftysomething Helena who begins to fall for Sigrid, a young girl who is working for her.  Eventually, the verbal and emotional battle between the two women leads the older Helena to suicide when her feelings are not reciprocated.  When traveling to Switzerland to accept an award for the now-reclusive playwright, Maria learns that Melchior has died.  She also speaks with a young director who wishes to revive Maloja Snake on the London stage with Maria playing the older Helena now and up-and-coming actress Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloë Grace Moretz) as the younger Sigrid.  Reluctantly, Maria agrees to the revival and in order to prepare for the role, she goes to Melchior's Swiss house where she and her personal assistant Valentine (Kristen Stewart) spend a lot of time talking about how age affects women among other things.

Ultimately, the problem with Clouds of Sils Maria is that it feels flat, failing to really create meaningful, interesting arcs for both its characters and its story.  The film thinks it's deep -- and maybe it really is -- but it meanders so mind-numbingly slowly that any metaphorical or psychological importance is lost as the viewer loses interest.  Juliette Binoche is fine and Kristen Stewart (who received rave reviews and the French equivalent of the Oscar for this role) is playing her most natural role yet, but the latter just doesn't have a whole lot to sink her teeth into and the former is mired in depressing malaise for 120 minutes that the audience simply doesn't want to have anything to do with her despite the fact that she's onscreen for every moment of the film.  While nicely shot, the boredom Clouds of Sils Maria inspires in the viewer just can't be overcome.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Laggies

Laggies (2014)

Starring Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz, Sam Rockwell, Mark Webber, Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, Gretchen Mol, and Kaitlin Dever

Directed by Lynn Shelton

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

Laggies started out so promisingly with laughs coming quite rapidly in the film's first few scenes.  However, as the tale of aimless twenty-eight year-old Megan (Keira Knightley) progressed, its humor began to cease which is a real shame because I think Knightley and Chloë Grace Moretz are giving some of their best performances in this flick.

Megan is college educated and could be a therapist should she so choose, but instead she spends her days twirling a sign outside her dad's tax prep business.  She's been with boyfriend Anthony (Mark Webber) since high school, but her general malaise is a bit off-putting to even him.  While attending her best friend's wedding, Megan runs out in a bit of a panic and heads to a local liquor store where she meets Annika (Moretz) who asks Megan to buy liquor for her and her high school friends.  Megan obliges and ends up spending the night hanging out with the teenagers, having a blast in the process as she remembers the "good old days."  When Anthony pleads with her a few days later to attend a conference that will help better herself, Megan instead meets up with Annika for the week and end up spending a lot of time together with trying to better one another's ho hum lives.

Keira Knightley is really coming into her own as of late and Laggies is no exception.  Here she completely embodies the lackadaisical Megan with her acting feeling wholly natural and completely unforced.  Moretz is also quite good, although her character is admittedly a little less developed and haw much less room to grow.  Together, the two have a nice rapport and movie certainly is aided by the two actresses.

Unfortunately, the film itself isn't quite as humorous as it would like you to think it is.  It also doesn't help that the premise itself isn't quite as believable as it would like you to think it could be either.  Would the father (Sam Rockwell) of Annika really be okay with a woman more than ten years her senior hanging out with his daughter?  And while Knightley sells the prospect of a romantic relationship with Rockwell's character, when the film begins to travel down that road it just seems a bit silly.  So, despite some really solid performances, Laggies doesn't quite work.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - If I Stay

If I Stay (2014)

Starring Chloë Grace Moritz, Mireille Enos, Jamie Blackley, Joshua Leonard, Liana Liberato, Jakob Davies, and Stacy Keach

Directed by R.J. Cutler

It's such a shame that If I Stay wallows in the typical cinematic tropes of standard teenage romances because at the crux of the film is a rather lovely and somewhat emotionally resonant contemplation of the afterlife.  On a snowy day, Mia (Chloë Grace Mortiz), her mother (Mireille Enos), father (Joshua Leonard), and brother (Jakob Davies) are all involved in a horrific car accident.  Mia immediately finds herself having an out-of-body experience watching herself being whisked off to the hospital only to find upon her arrival that her parents and brother are in similarly dire straits as well.

Unfortunately, while the aforementioned aspect of the film works surprisingly well providing more than one touching moment, the bulk of If I Stay is told in flashback with Mia recalling her final year of high school when she, a talented cellist, falls for Adam (Jamie Blackley), the guitarist of a punk band.  Her parents -- former rock band performers and groupies themselves -- find the pairing ideal, but Mia questions whether her burgeoning love is harming her chances of getting into a great music college.  This relationship is nothing short of typical, filled with the corniest of dialog, and many scenes of the teenaged actors pining doe-eyed at one another only to get flustered when one or the other questions their commitment to the romantic affiliation.

Chloë Moretz confounds me a bit here as I found her unbearable to watch in those relationship moments, but moderately intriguing in some of the celestial out-of-body scenes.  Jamie Blackley fares a little better, but his character is so damn stereotypical that I found myself not caring for him in the slightest.  While Mireille Enos makes out the best as Mia's mom, she's not given a whole lot to do which is unfortunate as a movie about her character's relationship with her husband would've made a better film.

The potential was here for something positive and while I can't help but give If I Stay a little credit for its final act which stands out a bit from typical teenage fare (this was aiming for a "D" rating until the film's final twenty minutes), it ultimately sinks itself with a horribly disappointing been there-done that teen romance angle.

The RyMickey Rating: C-

Movie Review - Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows (2012)

Starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Bella Heathcote, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, and Chloë Grace Moretz

Directed by Tim Burton

Edward Scissorhands.  Ed Wood.  Sleepy Hollow.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  The Corpse Bride.  Sweeney Todd.  Alice in Wonderland.  With the exception of Sweeney Todd, the pairing of director Tim Burton with his acting stalwart Johnny Depp have almost gotten a bit worse with each progressive film.  While Dark Shadows can't quite compete with the abhorrent trip down the rabbit hole that was their last collaboration, this redo of a 1960s vampire soap opera doesn't quite gel.  I see potential around every corner with the director's latest work, but the odd mix of comedy and horror is never humorous nor scary enough to successfully satisfy the cinematic requirements of either genre.

With an appropriately creepy Gothic prologue, Burton starts things off with a perfectly morose tone.  Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) was the twentysomething son of a wealthy fishing family whose riches were enough to have a town named after them back in the late eighteenth century.  After seducing and then breaking up with the Collins' maid Angelique (Eva Green), it is discovered that the maid was in fact a witch who through her dark sorcery kills Barnabas' parents.  Some time passes and Barnabas falls for the lovely Josette (Bell Heathcote) much to the chagrin of the jealous Angelique who concocts another spell that both kills Josette and turns Barnabas into an immortal vampire whom she then locks in a coffin buried for eternity.

After those first ten minutes, I asked myself why this film had gotten such bad reviews upon its release earlier in the year.  This seemed like it was going to be a nice little creepy flick.  And that's when the tone shifted.  Barnabas' coffin is unearthed in the early 1970s and rather than focus on horror, the next ninety minutes are all about Barnabas being a fish out of water.  A tv?  It's a magic box that must be destroyed.  A McDonald's?  That must be the hang-out of Mephistopheles because of the big 'M' that adorns the sign.  It's not funny written down and it isn't any funnier in the film.  Ultimately, there's some plot about Barnabas needing to save his family's reputation.  Angelique has managed to live for these nearly two centuries and has pushed the Collins family out of the fishing industry in Collinswood by creating her own fishery.  Barnabas will stop at nothing to prevent the witch from casting his family name into the gutters.

The biggest problem here is simply that the film isn't funny.  I didn't laugh once despite Burton trying to balance both comedy and light horror elements.  The two pieces never fit together.  I'm not quite sure why Burton decided to go this route considering that the 60s soap opera was decidedly not comedic (at least in the dozen episodes or so I ventured to watch a few years ago) except to think that he felt it matched his quirky aesthetic a bit better.  Needless to say, he should have dropped the quirk.

Eva Green is the only actor in the cast who fully embraces the humorous aspects of the film.  While I still didn't laugh at anything her character said or did, Green at least attempts to breathe some life into the comedic moments.  Johnny Depp is sleepwalking through the whole thing -- he's not particularly bad, but he certainly brings nothing to the table.  The rest of the cast -- Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloë Moretz -- aren't given any particularly memorable moments so critiquing anything involving them would prove fruitless.

There was some potential in Dark Shadows, but I think Burton's direction (and admittedly the screenwriter's lack of focus on a particular genre) is the film's downfall.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Texas Killing Fields

Texas Killing Fields (2011)

Starring Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Jessica Chastain

Directed by Ami Canaan Mann

Admittedly, I only watched Texas Killing Fields because 2011 was the year of Jessica Chastain and I figured I'd give as many movies of hers a shot that I could.  Good Lord...not only was this the worst of the five Chastain movies I've seen thus far, but this is one of the worst movies released last year period.  Weaving a tale about a series of unsolved murders in Texas City, Texas (apparently based loosely on true events), Texas Killing Fields focuses on three cops -- Sam Worthington with a sometimes unintelligible mumbling country accent, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a cop with a conscience, and Jessica Chastain as the stereotypical take-no-prisoners tough as nails female officer -- and their investigation into the killings.  Along the way, various storylines are thrown at us that have no discernible connections, manage to bog down the movie with a heaviness and emotional emptiness the likes of which I haven't seen in a movie last year, and fail to come together at the conclusion in any satisfying manner.

Director Ami Canaan Mann (daughter of director Michael Mann) is no whiz behind the camera.  The film looks alright, but the pacing is so mind-numbingly boring and the movie is so choppily edited that while it seemed to be in chronological order, it very well may have been told in some oddly spliced together manner because, quite frankly, scenes failed to make any sense when placed next to one another.

The RyMickey Rating:  D-

Movie Review - Hugo

Hugo (2011)

Starring Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Michael Stuhlbarg, Helen McCrory, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths, and Jude Law

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Perhaps Hugo means a bit more to me, a guy who studied a bit of film in college, than the average viewer, but your ever so humble reviewer found Martin Scorsese's homage to early cinema a visual treat, a fanciful adventure, and a bit of a cinematic film lesson all wrapped into one.  Admittedly, I'm not a Martin Scorsese devotee (I've maybe seen six of his movies and most of those are from the last decade), but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Hugo's whimsical and gentle nature is not a style that would typically be attributed to the much-lauded director.  Still, while Hugo is certainly a film that you can take the whole family to watch, it shouldn't be mistaken for a "kiddie" picture.  Instead, its message about preserving film history for future generations hit a nerve in this filmgoer who already misses the pre-digital days pined over in Hugo in which the actual flickering of a shutter flashed light onto a silver screen in a darkened room.

When young Hugo Cabret's (Asa Butterfield) father passes away, he is sent to live with his uncle in a small "apartment" behind the gears of the giant clock in a huge Parisian train station.  Hugo spends his day fixing and setting the various clocks in the station while also snatching up a few croissants and bottles of milk for a bit of sustenance always being mindful of the Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) whose goal in life seems to be snatching up orphaned children and sending them to the dreaded orphanage.  On one afternoon, Hugo attempts to steal a toy from the toy shop in the station run by Georges (Ben Kingsley) only to find himself caught by the grumpy owner who forces Hugo to work for him rather than turn the kid over to the Inspector.  As Georges begins to discover some of Hugo's secrets, Hugo and his new friend, Georges's goddaughter Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), begin to discover a few secrets about Georges as well which explain why he is the curmudgeon that he is.

While appearing to be a simple tale, there's great depth here as (SPOILER ALERT) Georges is discovered to the famous filmmaker Georges Mélies who magically created some of the earliest, yet hugely complex for their time, cinematic tales.  A true visionary, Hugo turns into a beautiful remembrance of this oft-forgotten director (and older cinema in general), with Scorsese giving time onscreen to such classics as Mélies's  Le voyage dans la lune (from 1902) and the 1923 Harold Lloyd-starring Safety Last.  By acknowledging what came before him and embracing the simplicity of those earlier tales while at the same time crafting a completely "modern" tale utilizing beautiful 3D technology and computer effects, Scorsese has made a film with a lovely blend that balances both the past and the present.

Along with some stunning visuals, Scorsese has culled some very nice performances from Chloe Moretz (of Let Me In fame) and Asa Butterfield, the latter of whom uses his wide eyes to convey moments of both heartbreaking sadness and ebullient joy.  Ben Kingsley as the famous director who had to give up his passion is at first a tiny bit off-putting in his sheer grouchiness, but as his tale is slowly unraveled, his character is given much more depth than I ever could have expected at the film's outset.  [There's an extended sequence where Georges details the reasons he was forced to give up filmmaking that is touchingly handled by both Kingsley and Scorsese.]  Sacha Baron Cohen adds an appropriate amount of humor and there are some lovely small supporting turns from Emily Mortimer, Frances de la Tour, and Richard Griffiths whose roles as Parisian train station customers and workers brought a smile to my face.

2011 (or more specifically that final two months of 2011) seems to be a year where films about moviemaking have been given a chance to shine.  From My Week with Marilyn to The Artist, it's been a treat for a film lover.  Hugo is the latest addition to that mix and it's a beautifully crafted film to watch with a charming story to admire as it unfolds.  Time to go and watch some more Mélies...those few college film class viewings weren't nearly enough.

The RyMickey Rating:  A

Movie Review - Let Me In

Let Me In (2010)

Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Dylan Minette, and Elias Koteas

Directed by Matt Reeves

No need to mince words here.  Go see Let Me In.  As of now (and granted I haven't seen much this year), this is the best film released in 2010 and the best horror movie I've seen in a long while.

Twelve year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is somewhat of a recluse.  He seems to have no friends at school and is constantly being assaulted by a nasty trio headed by bully Kenny (Dylan Minette, Jack's son on Lost...which -- side note -- had me wondering the whole darn time where I recognized the kid from...I just couldn't place him while watching it).  One evening a young girl (Chloe Moretz) and a man (Richard Jenkins) move into Owen's apartment complex.  The girl named Abby, also twelve, is kind to Owen -- something he's never really experienced before.  However, over the course of a month, Owen soon begins to realize that Abby is not who she appears to be...she is, in fact, a vampire and, as is the case with most vampires, she needs blood to survive.

I had seen the Swedish film Let the Right One In (review here) and I felt that it wasn't the least bit frightening.  Director and screenwriter Matt Reeves manages to achieve an overarching sense of dread and tension, while at the same time creating an incredibly intimate character-driven horror movie.  There's no denying that the pace is a little slow, but it's a credit to Reeves (who also directed the non-stop fast-paced Cloverfield) that he manages to keep the story interesting and eerie throughout.  And it's not just his ability to keep things creepy -- he has lensed a great looking film.  There's a dark tone to everything on the screen, but he constructs some exquisite shots.  I honestly can't say enough about Reeves here.  After Cloverfield (which had its faults, but was still enjoyable) and this film, he has absolutely become a director whose future films I will highly anticipate.

He's certainly helped by a great cast of actors.  Smit-McPhee (who I liked in last year's The Road) and Chloe Moretz (who I didn't really care for in this year's Kick-Ass) are wonderful.  Neither of the pre-teens are happy in life, but they both manage to craft characters you instantly care about despite (or perhaps because of) their gloomy, depressed demeanors.  Richard Jenkins also is gripping as Abby's "father" who will do whatever necessary (even if it disgusts him) to keep his girl alive (or as alive as a vampire can be).  Throw in Elias Koteas and Dylan Minette who both manage to make the most out of what could have easily been stereotypical roles as a cop and a bully, respectively, and there's not a single performance in this film that rings false.

As I said above, the pacing in Let Me In is slow and deliberate and it will be a turn-off to some.  Despite some truly frightening moments, this isn't your typical horror film at all.  However, there's a rather beautiful story on display here about friendship and fear, and the fact that director Reeves was able to balance both of those qualities is quite a feat.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-   

Movie Review - Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass (2010)

Starring Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong, and Nicolas Cage

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

I'm not really a fan of superhero comic book movies.  For the most part, I could take them or leave them...they do nothing for me, but I don't actively oppose the genre either.  Going in a slightly different direction from your typical superhero flick, Kick-Ass details the lives of four ordinary folks who desire to don corny lycra costumes and help their fellow men and women out of trouble.

We first meet Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a geeky high school kid who happens to enjoy comic books.  He wonders why there aren't real-life superheroes who, while they wouldn't hold superpowers, could assist those in need and strike fear into criminals.  He decides to test the waters and become a modern-day superhero named Kick-Ass, whose only superpower is, well, kicking ass (and he hasn't exactly become an expert at that yet).

After gaining some notoriety via a self-created website, Dave decides to assist a girl he has a crush on.  The gal is being followed by a drug addict/dealer and when Dave as Kick-Ass goes to the slums to meet him, he runs into some trouble.  Fortunately, he is assisted by two fellow "superheroes," Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz).  The dad and daughter team manage to kill everyone in the drug dealer's den, saving Kick-Ass in the process.

Unfortunately, the drug dealer worked for the evil crime boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) who decides to go after these do-gooding vigilantes.  His son Chris (a shockingly un-annoying Christopher Mintz-Plasse) takes on the personality of superhero Red Mist in order to befriend Kick-Ass in hopes of leading his father to the lair of Big Daddy and Hit Girl.

Kick-Ass is a surprisingly effective film.  Director and co-writer Michael Vaughn takes a humorous, tongue-in-cheek look at superhero flicks and does so in a violent manner.  Much talk was made of the violence (specifically the fact that young Chloe Moretz does most of the killing), but the off-the-wall tone of the film presents things in such a cartoonish way that it never feels excessive.  Vaughn (who hasn't directed a whole lot of flicks) certainly has an eye for crafting enjoyable action comedy.  He keeps comic book sensibilities ever-present, but they never felt overpowering which I enjoyed greatly.

Certainly adding to the appeal of the film is the acting of Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass and Mark Strong as the ominous crime boss.  While Nic Cage and Chloe Moretz seemed to ham it up a little more than necessary, I still thought the characters they played were an interesting creation and the backstory that explains their birth as superheroes was particularly well-crafted.

Kick-Ass is the film that Watchmen wanted to be.  I'd watch Kick-Ass again in a heartbeat...Watchmen hasn't fared well as time as gone on.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+