Baby Driver

Baby Driver (2017)

Starring Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez, Jon Bernthal, and Jamie Foxx

Directed by Edgar Wright

Written by Edgar Wright

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Baby (Ansel Elgort) has worked as a getaway driver for a series of heists headed by kingpin Doc (Kevin Spacey) for several years.  However, he calls it quits until Doc pulls him in for one more crime that ends up being a bit more than Baby bargained for.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Elvis & Nixon

Elvis & Nixon (2016)

Starring Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Knoxville, Colin Hanks, Evan Peters, Sky Ferreira, Tracy Letts, Tate Donovan, and Ashley Benson

Directed by Liza Johnson

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

Unbeknown to me, there is apparently some famous picture of Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon shaking hands in the Oval Office.  Elvis & Nixon is a cleverly retro-stylized film by Liza Johnson that depicts the late December 1970 day when the King (Michael Shannon) demanded a meeting with the President (Kevin Spacey) in order to detail his concerns with the rising drug and hippie culture in the United States.  The stodgy President wants nothing to do with the hip-shaking singer, but he eventually obliges in part due to the urging of his aides (Colin Hanks and Evan Peters) and he ends up discovering that he may have an affinity for the pop star.

The briskly paced flick humorously depicts the obviously quirky "Odd Couple" dichotomy between Presley and Nixon with director Liza Johnson keenly mining the absurdity of the situation for all its worth.  Yet, at the same time, Johnson respects the positions of both famous men, never playing them for fools or suckers, mining laughs from the situation as opposed to at their expense.  Michael Shannon's Elvis gets the majority of the focus and he does a nice job of creating a well-rounded character as opposed to simply an impression of the famous singer.  While Spacey's Nixon is perhaps the opposite -- more of an impression than a fully-realized character -- I found his Nixon spot-on and amusingly engaging.  

I will admit that I wasn't particularly expecting much from Elvis & Nixon and perhaps that's why I enjoyed it so much.  While the trailers certainly depicted humor, I was expecting this to be some sort of history lesson (albeit an odd one) and it's nothing like that at all.  Instead, it's a pleasantly eccentric light-hearted flick that is worthy of a watch.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Ramblings on House of Cards

I don't usually discuss television at all on this blog, but I just wanted to throw a few thoughts out there about Netflix's House of Cards.  Anchored by a fantastic performance by Kevin Spacey, much has already been said about this being Netflix's first foray into series television and if this is the type of show the company bankrolls, I'll have to check out everything they bring to the table (except Arrested Development -- I tried...I just don't get it).

Spacey is Francis Underwood, a Democratic senator from the South who despite being promised a big position within the new presidential administration finds himself passed over for the job.  This doesn't sit too well with Underwood who sets out to do all that he can to enact revenge and better his position in the process.

What I truly enjoy about House of Cards is that it doesn't ever stoop to the lowest common denominator in any area.  Foul language is used when necessary, but not overly so.  Violence is depicted, but not in any graphic manner.  Sex and nudity sometimes make an appearance, but not to any exploitative degree.  Instead, the producers allow the story to naturally unfold rather than hit us over the head with "THIS IS NOT NETWORK TV!!!" like pay cable stations HBO or Showtime (or even fX) seem wont to do.  We're still being treated to a drama aimed squarely at thinking adults, but it's not risqué just because it "can be."

There are great performances across the board.  Spacey is fantastic.  I loved how they decided to have him speak directly to the camera at times allowing the audience to see the character's true personality amidst the façade he's putting on for those around him.  Robin Wright is also very good as Underwood's wife and I must say that I was truly shocked that her character Claire is given the weight and importance that this series grants her.  As the head of an environmental group, Claire isn't just a trophy wife and the tricky relationship that she shares with her husband is one of the reasons this show proves to be unique.

We're also given some great turns from Michael Kelly as Underwood's right-hand man, Kate Mara as an intrepid reporter, Corey Stall as a senator from Pennsylvania who is being manipulated unbeknown to him by Underwood, and Kristen Connolly as the PA senator's girlfriend/chief of staff.  Quite honestly, there wasn't a bad actor cast here from the top to the bottom.

I worry a little bit that this show will be able to sustain itself as I wonder just how many manipulative moves a character like Underwood can make without subjecting himself to the wrath of his fellow politicians.  I also question whether a surprising turn of events in episode ten was a too-much-too-soon moment for Underwood.  What he does isn't necessarily surprising given what we'd come to know about him, but it does seem like it may have come a tad early in the series.

Still, House of Cards has me rooting for the "bad" guy and the complex life he leads.  Part of me wishes the thirteen episode first season would've ended on a bit more of a cliffhanger note, but I'll still be pulled back in for season two which I'll likely binge watch over the course of three days much like I watched season one.

Movie Review - Margin Call

Margin Call (2011)

Starring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgely, Simon Baker, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci

Directed by J.C. Chandor

Some movies no matter how well they're directed, acted, or written just don't work for the individual viewer because the subject matter simply doesn't resonate with him.  That's Margin Call for me.  The acting ensemble here is top notch. J.C. Chandor's directing and screenwriting debut is solidly tension-filled and quite impressive (although it does slip into a bit too much moralizing in the second half which diminished substantially the little enjoyment I was experiencing).  Still, the story about the start of the financial meltdown in the late 2000s and big corporate's involvement in forcing massive government bailouts just made me feel kind of dumb because it's something I really know nothing about.  Despite its admirable attempts at "dumbing down" the subject matter, I was still a bit lost at moments which is part of the reason why this flick garners its rating at the bottom of this review.

I'd love to tell you exactly what happened to cause the tension to build in Margin Call, but I'd just be making up what I think happened.  It has something to do with some big investment company wanting to sell off some stocks or something after they discover that if they were to hold onto them their company would go under.  Unfortunately for this company, the person that discovered this issue was just fired that morning, so as everyone attempts to get him back to unveil his findings, he's none to eager to help the bastards that let him go.

The whole thing looks good and feels smart, but I just don't know enough about stocks and mortgages and day trading to comprehend the goings-on here.  It also didn't help that towards the end, the film attempted to bring out the "moral police" by having its characters spout how morally wrong the company's actions were -- and, while that may be accurate, it felt much too preachy and "Occupy Wall Street" to appeal to this viewer.  Acting across the board was great and it was nice to see each actor have a scene or two to act with everyone in the cast in a one-on-one capacity.  But, in the end, this is a movie that I'll never want to watch again.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses (2011)

Starring Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, and Jennifer Aniston
Directed by Seth Gordon

Perhaps I did Horrible Bosses a disservice by watching it a day after Bridesmaids, but this modern-day retelling of 9 to 5 from a male point of view just didn't provide the laughs needed to succeed (especially when compared to the Kristen Wiig-starring raunchfest).

Three guys all have severe problems with their bosses.  Nick (Jason Bateman) is aggravated when his sadistically controlling boss (Kevin Spacey) passes him over for a vice president's job at a big corporate firm.  When Kurt's (Jason Sudeikis) boss dies, the job is taken over by the boss's druggie party-guy son (Colin Farrell) making day-to-day activities a living hell.  For Dale (Charlie Day), a dental assistant, his problem revolves his sex-obsessed, completely inappropriate dentist boss (Jennifer Aniston) as she attempts to do whatever she can to get Dale into bed despite the fact that he is engaged to be married.

Fed up, the three concoct a plan to kill their respective bosses and, unfortunately, that's where the movie falls apart.  Ultimately, the scheme to do aware with their uncouth supervisors isn't all that funny.  In the first third of the film, when the focus is on the devious bosses, the humor comes across rather easily -- Jennifer Aniston, in particular, is riotously hilarious at moments in a role that is unlike anything she's ever done before.  However, the characters portrayed by Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day simply aren't interesting enough to have a movie crafted around them.  Jason Bateman, in particular, is incredibly bland here, giving his character zero personality.  Jason Sudeikis feels like he's rehashing the same character we saw in the better Hall Pass earlier this year.  Charlie Day is the only one of the trio to provide some truly funny moments, but I still couldn't help but think he was playing the same guy he plays on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  And the less said about Jamie Foxx's role as a hired hit man the better.  Completely humorless, his scenes grind the film to a screeching halt.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Starring George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, and Goat
Directed by Grant Heslov

I haven't been this bored in a movie in a long time. Good Lord, I couldn't wait for this thing to end. Thanks goodness it was only 90 minutes...and that was about 50 minutes too long.

The story, told in flashbacks, is that the US Military had some special ops division of the Army that dealt with "new age" forms of combat, focusing on the mind rather than hand-to-hand combat...the notion of a real-life Jedi apparently. Ewan McGregor is a reporter who uncovers this secret division, George Clooney is a man who was a successful "graduate" of the program, and Jeff Bridges is the freak who created the thing.

Ugh...I really don't even want to waste time on this one. It tried to be funny...it wasn't. The quirk was lost. And any attempts at action seemed silly. All the actors were weak, with Goat being the only one who really shined.

The RyMickey Rating: D-

Movie Review - Shrink (2009)

Starring Kevin Spacey, Dallas Roberts, Keke Palmer, Mark Webber, Saffron Burrows, Pell James, Jesse Plemons, Robert Loggia, and Robin Williams
Written by Thomas Moffett
Directed by Jonas Pate

Moderate spoilers ahead...although these plot points are discussed within the first 20 minutes of the film...

Right off the bat, let me say that I have a few problems with this movie, most important being that one of the most pivotal plot points felt incredibly forced. However, this little flick that I had heard next to nothing about won me over because of some winning performances and a great combination of humor and pathos.

Kevin Spacey is Henry Carter, a shrink who has written a book about how to be happy in life. Guess what? He's not really happy. His wife has recently committed suicide and he has turned to marijuana to quell his emotional pains. The flick is one of those multiple-character arc movies (like Crash but on a much lesser scale) where several patients come into Henry's office and then end up interacting with each other. In some movies, these interactions feel forced, but here, for the most part, they work. Patrick (Dallas Roberts) is a Hollywood talent agent/producer who is afraid of everything. Jemma (Keke Palmer) is a high school student obsessed with movies and unable to emotionally come to grips with her mother's suicide. Kate (Saffron Burrows) is an aging Hollywood actress (if being in your 30s is aging...I'm in trouble in a year...) who is having trouble in her marriage to a rock star. As I said above, eventually, several of these folks will find their story arcs combining by the film's end.

My biggest problem with the film is that I never felt the connection that I felt I should between Henry and Jemma, two people who lost those they loved to suicide. The movie is definitely pushing this as the emotional peak, but I never really got there with it. It doesn't help that the film gets to that high point via a weird interaction between Jemma and Henry's godson, Jeremy (Marc Webber), a struggling screenwriter who finds inspiration in the young troubled girl.

You would think that if I had issues with a major plot point, I wouldn't particularly care for the film, however, the flick still worked for me for some odd reason. In part, it's due to some winning performances. Spacey, whom I haven't seen since 2007's Fred Claus (and let's not go there...I'm not counting his pretty darn good voiceover work in Moon), is impressive as the struggling doc. His opening scene had me doubting the role, but he won me over within minutes. Jesse Plemons as Henry's pot supplier provided quite a bit of laughter, as did an extended cameo from Robin Williams (he was still kind of doing is off-the-wall schtick, but it worked for me). However, the star of the show was Dallas Roberts. His neurotic Patrick was a hoot and this (to me anyway) unknown actor stole the show from the talented Spacey.

Obviously, the film isn't perfect, but I liked it. It was a nice mix of comedy and drama, and it certainly kept my attention throughout thanks to those performances mentioned.

The RyMickey Rating: B