Movie Review - Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Daniel Brühl, William Hurt, Martin Freeman, John Slattery, Alfre Woodard, and Marisa Tomei

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

The casts of these Marvel movies just keep growing -- I can't tag nearly all of those famous people in the labels attached to this review -- but the films following the Avengers team saga keep getting better so I approve of the multiplying ensemble.  Captain America: Civil War certainly has its epic action sequences, but it's the Marvel movie that feels the most grounded in reality -- of course, it's a reality filled with flying, shrinking, web-slinging, and energy manipulating superheroes, but it's the most realistic Marvel depiction of these folks yet.  Without aliens desiring to wreak havoc or supervillains intent on literally raising cities off of the Earth, Captain America: Civil War pits Iron Man Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Captain America Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) against one another as they try to determine the Avengers' place in the world.

Building off the events of The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Civil War asks the question as to whether the Avengers do more harm than good.  Following the devastating damage the Avengers helped to cause when taking down Ultron who was intent on destroying Sokovia, worldwide agencies want to make the Avengers answer to a governing body in an attempt to keep them from simply running rampant across the world.  Sure they do good, but the Avengers are also reckless at times.  Tony Stark is amenable to this treatise, but Steve Rogers feels that it will severely inhibit the Avengers' ability to fight evil.  Our superheroes -- Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and the newest member Spider-Man (Tom Holland) -- take sides, all while Captain America tries to figure out if his former buddy Bucky Barnes AKA the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is responsible for an attack on the United Nations-esque body that is responsible for instituting the Sokovia Accords.

For me -- someone who isn't a huge comic book movie fan, despite having seen all of the new era of Marvel films -- the biggest reason for the success of Captain America: Civil War (which isn't really a Captain America movie so much as another Avengers picture) is that the villains here aren't foreign entities like superhuman computers or outer space creatures, but based in reality.  Add to that, the tension that arises within the Avengers group themselves is surprisingly palpable and dramatically effective.  Plus, in typical Marvel fashion, the film knows when to lighten things up, creating nice pops of humor when the heavier story desperately needs it.  The Russo Brothers who did a great job with Captain America: Winter Soldier do an even better job here and I look forward to what they can bring to the oftentimes over-bloated Avengers films.

The character of Captain America is one that didn't start out successful for me in the slightest.  In fact, the original Captain America film is one of my least favorites in the Marvel canon.  However, as the character of Steve Rogers has grown and developed, he's become compelling and captivating.  Placing him front and center here in a battle against some of his former allies creates what I think is the best Marvel film to date.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - Paper Towns

Paper Towns (2015)

Starring Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, and Jaz Sinclair

Directed by Jake Schreier

***This film is currently streaming on HBO Now***

I'm unashamed to say that I was a fan of The Fault in Our Stars, with the film garnering a top 15 spot on my list of 2014's best of the year.  When another one of author John Green's novels, Paper Towns, was adapted for the screen last year, my expectations were somewhat high, although its trailer and reviews were significantly weaker-looking.  While Paper Towns doesn't aspire to be the emotional teenage drama that is The Fault in Our Stars, it also doesn't really succeed at being much of anything, crafting a film's plot around a character who is unappealing and egotistically self-centered which makes other characters' fascination with her irritating as opposed to compelling.

As young kids, Quentin and Margo were great friends, with the adventurous Margo drawing out the more timid Quentin to fun times outside the confines of their respective yards.  Now seniors in high school, Quentin and Margo (Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne) have drifted apart socially over the past few years despite still living across the street from one another.  Quentin's a little geeky (not overly so, mind you) whilst Margo hangs with the cool kids, but one evening, Margo knocks on Quentin's bedroom window like old times asking him to cause some crazy havoc on her friends who have betrayed her.  Quentin agrees and they have a great night together putting saran wrap on cars and shaving off eyebrows of Margo's former friends.  The next morning, however, Margo is gone...and it's not the first time the now eighteen year-old has run away from home.  Quentin, still reeling from his reunion with Margo, begins to see clues the clever Margo has left behind in order to reveal her location to anyone who may care enough to investigate and Quentin sets out to find her.

Nat Wolff and the two actors playing his buddies - Austin Abrams and Justice Smith - do a lot to make Paper Towns watchable with their witty repartee, as does Halston Sage as Margo's best friend Lacey who can't understand what she did to make Margo so angry, but Lacey's confusion over Margo's sudden departure is part of the biggest overarching problem with the film.  Why exactly does Margo leave?  Why exactly did she turn on her friends after so long, particularly Lacey?  Why exactly does Quentin feel this need to go and find her?  None of these questions are answered satisfactorily in any way and Margo herself as a person seems like someone who doesn't give a damn about whom she hurts or leaves behind.  Yet, despite spending two-thirds of the movie searching for this gal, Paper Towns fails to make me care about or understand why any of the characters care about finding this girl.  Paper Towns was never meant to have the emotional impact of something like The Fault in Our Stars, but I at least hoped it'd resonate as a nice coming of age teen flick which it unfortunately does not.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Batkid Begins

Batkid Begins (2015)

Directed by Dana Nachman

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

Batkid Begins is essentially one big, feature-length commercial for the wonderful Make-A-Wish Foundation charity and while it doesn't quite have the dramatic impact I'd hoped considering its emotional story, it's an admirable documentary about changing one cancer survivor's life forever.  Six year-old Miles Scott was diagnosed with leukemia at 18 months old and he battled for years to fight the cancer, finally succeeding.  When approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation which grants wishes to kids fighting various diseases, Miles' wish was to be Batman -- not just meet Batman, but be Batman.  What started as a modest concept by Patricia Wilson, the head of the Greater Bay Area-based chapter of the charity organization, turned into an epic event attended by 25,000 people as the streets of San Francisco turned into Gotham City for one afternoon to make a young boy's dreams come true as he regained some of his childhood he had lost to battling leukemia.

I can't deny that the corners of my eyes welled up with a few tears as portions of this film progressed, particularly in a quiet moment the day before the City by the Bay's transformation into Gotham in which Miles gets to practice becoming a superhero.  As Miles' story unfolds, you can't help but be moved by this young kid's awe and fascination as his dream of becoming Batman comes true (although, at times, you can also sense an overwhelming aspect of the whole affair to this child).  You also can't help but be amazed at how many people stepped up and volunteered to make Miles' dream a reality.  The short film is innately watchable and well done, but in the end, it's a bit too pleasantly one-note (and this is coming from a reviewer who admires films that carry an old-time sentimental mentality).  By starting the film with images from the amazing day and interviews with Miles and his parents after-the-fact, director Dana Nachman loses a little bit of the impact from the build-up to the eventful day.

While I do have some qualms, it's tough to dislike Batkid Begins.  The feel-good nature of the piece is impossible not to enjoy.  While I had hoped for a little more of an emotional core and a little less of a Make-a-Wish infomercial, Batkid Begins certainly shows the fantastic work of the charity organization and the happiness that it provides to kids who so deserve a little bit of happiness in their lives.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - We Are Your Friends

We Are Your Friends (2015)

Starring Zac Efron, Wes Bentley, Emily Ratajkowski, Jonny Weston, Shiloh Fernandez, Alex Shaffer, and Jon Bernthal

Directed by Max Joseph

***This film is currently streaming on HBO Now***

I'm typically not a fan of movies that glorify a drug-filled slacker lifestyle, but color me surprised that something clicked with We Are Your Friends, a film that unjustifiably garnered one of the lowest opening weekend (and grand total) box office grosses ever for a wide release film.  We Are Your Friends is by no means a film without flaws (the film's climactic ending, as an example, comes off more laughable than dramatically effective) but the drubbing it received from the public is a bit surprising seeing how this coming of age film seems like it would've hit home with the college age "finding yourself" crowd.

We follow young twenty-something Cole (Zac Efron), a San Fernando Valley DJ, who spends his free time perfecting his craft by hovering over his computer and hanging out with his trio of slacker friends (Jonny Weston, Shiloh Fernandez, and Alex Shaffer) who all do what they can (including selling drugs) in order to make ends meet.  One evening at a club event where he is DJ'ing, Cole meets James (Wes Bentley), an older, more experienced spinner who invites Cole out for a night on the town, after which they become friends.  The mentor/mentee relationship begins well, but starts to falter when Cole finds himself falling for James's girlfriend Sophie (Emily Ratajkowski) and an infamous cinematic love triangle begins to form.

The film makes much use of music, detailing how DJs gradually amp up their rhythms to get the crowd in a never-ending groove.  First-time feature film director Max Joseph utilizes a rampant pulsing beat throughout many of the film's scenes that while creating a music video atmosphere also perfectly depicts the places inhabited by the characters in the film.  The frenetic club sequences are nicely balanced by some quieter, more dramatic and character-developing moments and the two distinct filmmaking styles and tones mesh quite seamlessly with one another.

Perhaps one of the reasons for the film's disappointing box office returns (and, quite frankly, one of the reasons I misjudged the flick) is that it stars Zac Efron.  While I'm certainly not saying his performance here should've garnered any modicum of awards fervor, I think the time has come to realize that he's grown into a completely capable and compelling star.  Looking back on my reviews of the young man, he's more than proven he's got what it takes to hold his own onscreen. The days of High School Musical are behind him and perhaps he needs to be taken a bit more seriously.  The rest of the cast is also quite good -- and, with full knowledge of the sexist nature of this upcoming remark -- Emily Ratajkowski is stunningly gorgeous (and holds her own with her slightly underdeveloped love interest role).

It may seem like I'm overpraising We Are Your Friends given the grade it'll be receiving below, but it's not without a few large faults.  By the time the film comes to its conclusion, I never got the sense the character of Cole had gone through a huge growth arc and I think that's supposed to be the emotional core.  The flick's final scene is supposed to be a pivotal moment for the character and the way director/co-screenwriter Joseph has filmed and wrote it, I couldn't help but chuckle a little.  Still, this is his first film and overall I think that there are huge amounts of promise in the director.  Sure, We Are Your Friends oftentimes mimics a music video, but that aspect of it never overstays its welcome.  This one was a bit of a sleeper for me that I almost bypassed -- I'm happy I didn't.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Manson Family Vacation

Manson Family Vacation (2015)

Starring Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Leonora Pitts, Adam Chernik, Davie-Blue, and Tobin Bell

Directed by J. Davis

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

I'm not quite sure what I expected Manson Family Vacation to be, but considering it was produced by the Duplass Brothers, known for low budget comedies about thirty-something year-old men rediscovering (or facing the humdrum reality of) their lives, I guess I was expecting a weird humor-filled film that somehow focused on a guy obsessed with Charles Manson.  While the film begins in that vein, debut director and screenwriter J. Davis's first flick becomes a bit more serious than I imagined, adding a surprising amount of depth to a story about two reuniting brothers.

Successful lawyer Nick (Jay Duplass) loves his job, his wife Amanda (Leonora Pitts), and son Max (Adam Chernik) -- he's got a good life.  When his estranged adopted brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) returns to town unemployed and having sold all of his possessions, Nick feels the need to try and help him, but all Conrad wants to do is take a weekend mini-road trip to locales made famous by 1960s criminal Charles Manson and the members of his commune-like "family."  As they travel, the brothers' past is dug up and underlying tensions rise to the surface all set against the backdrop of a notorious decades-old crime spree.

There's something slightly unnerving about the initial prologue flashed up on the screen at the beginning of the film that states that to this day, Charles Manson still receives 60,000 fan letters a year, so when Conrad's fascination with Manson is revealed, there's an immediate discomfort that sets in.  Manson Family Vacation isn't by any means a horror film or a thriller, but the disquieting aspect runs rampant throughout.  Buoyed by two nice performances from Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips, the flick creates a nice balance between comedy and drama, building a substantive relationship between Nick and Conrad in a short period of time.  It does fall apart a little bit during its middle act, but Manson Family Vacation is a surprisingly deep tale about the importance of family.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Crimson Peak

Crimson Peak (2015)

Starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, and Jim Beaver

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Gorgeous to look upon, Guillermo del Toro's gothic horror flick Crimson Peak is sumptuously designed, but considering its ominous appearance, it disappoints by neglecting to create suspense or elicit any sense of dread or fear that should accompany a film like this.  With some of the actors seemingly told to amp up the camp factor, Crimson Peak ends up being a film that had potential, but doesn't achieve what it sets out to accomplish.

Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is a young American woman with dreams of becoming a great author someday.  When British entrepreneur Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) visit Edith's father Carter (Jim Beaver) in Buffalo, New York, in order to try and secure money for a clay-mining tool, Edith is drawn to Thomas's mysterious demeanor.  Carter senses something off with the Sharpes and forbids Edith to start a relationship with Thomas.  However, when tragic circumstances arise, Edith ends up marrying Thomas and travels to England to the Sharpes' huge, though run-down estate Allerdale Hall.  Unfortunately for Edith, Thomas and Lucille may be hiding some deep secrets from their new family member, the least of which being that Allerdale Hall may be haunted with ghosts of the Sharpe family's past.

From the outset, Crimson Peak excels in all areas related to design with larger than life, though realistically detailed sets by Tom Sanders and luxuriously extravagant costumes by Kate Hawley (both overlooked by the Academy last year).  However, once one moves beyond the way things look, the film feels empty and fails to deliver on its promise of suspense.  Director and co-writer del Toro can't maintain tension via his story and direction, and considering the foreboding production design it's disappointing that the gothic nature of the horror aspect of the tale falls flat.

While Tom Hiddleston plays things relatively straight, Mia Wasikowska's Edith is too much of a blank, emotionless slate to really carry the film on her shoulders.  Jessica Chastain fares worse, however, as she almost laughably chews up the scenery with her character's chilly vibe.  Some may find her role a bright spot in the film, but I found her performance misplaced amongst the rest of the cast as if she was acting in a different movie than everyone else.  Yes, her portrayal feels very old school 1940s film-esque, but it just doesn't mesh with everything else.  The lack of cohesiveness in the performances is certainly mirrored in the lack of del Toro's ability to amp of the drama and suspense in a film that so desperately requires that tension to exist.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Infinitely Polar Bear

Infinitely Polar Bear (2015)

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, and Ashley Aufderheide

Directed by Maya Forbes

I'm sure that director-screenwriter Maya Forbes' semi-autobiographical Infinitely Polar Bear creates at least a somewhat realistic depiction of bipolar disorder, but I unfortunately found much of her flick lacking believability, walking an odd and unbalanced line between comedy and drama and never making the most of either side of that coin.  Taking place in 1978, the tale follows Cam Stuart (Mark Ruffalo), who is hospitalized after a psychotic break.  His wife Maggie (Zoe Saldana) takes their two daughters Amelia and Faith (Imogene Wolodarsky and Ashley Aufderheide) to a small apartment and is barely making ends meet when Cam is released from the institution.  While Maggie initially wants to keep Cam away from their kids, she soon realizes that as long as he stays on his medication, Cam is stable enough to watch Amelia and Faith.  Maggie decides to head off to college in order to try and provide a better life for her daughters, trepidatious to leave Cam in charge, but confident that this will eventually provide a better life for her girls.

The basic elements of the story are good enough, but as I mentioned, the film oddly leaps from humor to drama, failing to find a balance of any sort.  Mark Ruffalo is one of the biggest reasons for the film's disappointing outcome with his performance feeling like a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.  Granted, I understand this very well be characteristic of one suffering from manic depression and bipolar disorder, but in this movie, the two sides are amped up creating a character that never feels based in any type of reality, making ninety minutes feel infinitely longer.  In the end, Infinitely Polar Bear just doesn't work, taking a serious subject and failing to figure out what exactly it wants say about it.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015)

Starring Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg

Directed by Emily Ting

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

A simple two-hander in the vein of the Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight trilogy, Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong is a winning, effervescent dialog-driven piece about a thirty-five year-old investment banker named Josh (Bryan Greenberg) and a thirty year-old toy designer named Ruby (Jamie Chung) who meet one night when the latter asks the former for directions while at a bar in Hong Kong.  Discovering that she was new to the country, expat Josh walks Ruby to her destination, making small talk the whole time, both aware of the undeniable attraction and connection they are experiencing.  Some unforeseen circumstances occur and their evening comes to an abrupt end, but a year later, the two meet up again while aboard a river taxi and another night of conversation may change the course of their lives forever.

Chung and Greenberg have nice chemistry with one another (they recently married in real life) and I had a smile on my face nearly the entirety of the film watching them "meet cute" in the beautifully filmed city of Hong Kong, but the film lacks the pretension that runs through the aforementioned Before series.  While the lack of pretension should seem like a positive, here it creates moments of simplicity that give this film a slight lack of importance (and don't quite allow the actors to connect as instinctually as they should).  While I found myself rolling my eyes over the literary or artistic babble that Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy spout in writer-director Richard Linklater's series, in director-writer Emily Ting's debut film Hong Kong, our duo jabbers on about Seinfeld.  There's nothing wrong with that -- and it actually elicited less of an eye roll from me than the Sunset series -- but it makes the dialog lack a little bite or heft at times.  That said, it also makes it seem more natural to me.  Sure, I may have graduated with an English Lit degree, but I don't go around talking about how important Shakespeare or Chekhov are.  In that regard, I related to Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong moreso that Before Sunset, despite the fact that I recognize that the latter is perhaps a bit better written.  [The lack of cursing or crudeness also made this seem more like my life -- while not rated, I think it'd garner a simple PG-rating.]

It's perhaps entirely unfair to compare Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong to Richard Linklater's series, but Ms. Ting must've known that the similarities would elicit such a response from critics.  In the end, I think that Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong is actually a better film than Before Sunset (sacrilegious to say, I know).  Sure, Linklater's trilogy ends up winning overall because the director has since built two more movies that add depth to his already formulated characters.  But, the naturalness, simplicity, and charm of Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong make it a much more relatable piece to me.  Emily Ting has potential as a director and screenwriter, that's for sure, and her film is a rather joyous look at two people perhaps (or perhaps not) starting out on an unknown journey together.  As I said before, I was smiling nearly the entire time I watched this and, quite frankly, that's praise enough to recommend this, but should you need more of a push, it's also now garnering one of my better ratings of 2015.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - 5 Flights Up

5 Flights Up (2015)

Starring Morgan Freeman, Diane Keaton, and Cynthia Nixon

Directed by Richard Loncraine

***This film is currently available on HBO Now***

I've always liked Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton (despite the fact that the latter has played nothing but interchangeable characters in the last twenty years) so I figured why not give 5 Flights Up a shot.  Sure, it's a little comedy that made not a blip on anyone's cinematic radar last year, but the two leads are always watchable, so I gave it a go.

Well, it's a big ole bust.  Freeman and Keaton are charming as Alex and Ruth Carver, an older married couple who, after forty years of marriage, decide it may be time to move out of their fifth floor NYC apartment for the simple reason that they may be getting too weak to climb up the stairs.  Once you move past that charming aspect, though, everything else falters.  Burdened with stories of a dog with a slipped disc, a possible Muslim terrorist running rampant through their neighborhood (despite the obviousness from the get go that this isn't really the case), and Ruth's talkative niece/real estate agent (Cynthia Nixon), 5 Flights Up lacks any modicum of focus.  The two leads can't save the lack of a cohesive story and this whole thing falls terribly flat.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Goodnight Mommy

Goodnight Mommy (Ich seh ich seh) (2015)

Starring Lucas Schwarz, Elias Schwarz, and Susanne Wuest

Directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz

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

While I have no qualms about watching foreign movies in the slightest, I will admit that I need to "prepare" to watch them.  Knowing that I'm going to have to read subtitles calls for not starting a movie late at night when I'm winding down or early in the morning when I've just woken up.  So color me surprised when early one morning last week, I turned on Goodnight Mommy and what I had assumed was an Australian film ended up being an Austrian one.  My lack of reading comprehension notwithstanding, I decided to stick it out and this twisted thriller won me over after an admittedly slow start.

With essentially a cast of three, Goodnight Mommy details the story of two twin brothers Lukas and Elias (Lukas and Elias Schwarz) who question whose mother (Susanne Wuest) was in a tragic car accident that led to her face being disfigured.  After undergoing facial cosmetic surgery, she returns home completely bandaged up with a slightly different and more harsh attitude than she had before (perhaps understandable considering the stress and trauma she'd been through).  Unable to see her actual face, the young boys begin to question whether this women is actually their mother or if she is an impostor.

After a very slow burning start, Goodnight Mommy kicks into gear around the forty minute mark and never loses steam.  This is a "horror" film in the broadest sense of the term in that there aren't thrills or scares, but an ever-growing sense of tension, frustration, and nervousness.  Can these young boys create some scheme to get rid of this woman who they genuinely believe has harmed their mother?  Could the woman actually not be their mother?  Directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz had me guessing all the way through, creating an atmosphere of doubt and dread.

That said, upon retrospect, the film has a few plot holes that seem rather egregious -- for starters, I find it really difficult to believe that whoever was taking care of these boys while their mother was in the hospital would suddenly have vanished from their lives as soon as their mother returned home, never stopping in to see how things were going considering the mother still was on quite a bit of bed rest.  Still, with nice performances from the two young leads and a simplistic, but overall enjoyable story, Goodnight Mommy is the type of film that I'm certain Hollywood will remake in the upcoming years.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - The Girl in the Book

The Girl in the Book (2015)

Starring Emily VanCamp, Michael Nyqvist, Ana Mulvoy-Ten, Ali Ahn, Michael Cristofer, and David Call

Directed by Marya Cohn

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

Every now and then I'll find myself streaming a movie no one has heard about on Netflix and wondering why it didn't get a little more acclaim or recognition in the prior year.  2014's sleeper for me was The Grand Seduction -- seriously, give that charming flick a go -- and 2015 brings me The Girl in the Book.  While not quite of the same caliber of that aforementioned Taylor Kitsch film in part because of its low Kickstarter budget, The Girl in the Book tells the rather gloomy tale of twenty-nine year-old book editor Alice (Emily VanCamp) whose trying teenage years come back to haunt her emotionally when a friend of her father's, author Milan Daneker (Michael Nyqvist), returns to her life nearly a decade after causing irrevocable harm to her.  What exactly that "harm" is reveals itself slowly through a series of flashbacks in which the teenage writer Alice (played by Ana Mulvoy-Ten) is mentored by Milan as he tries to help her become a better wordsmith.

Even discounting the pain Milan caused her, Alice has also had to live with the fact that Milan's most popular novel -- one that has been read prolifically in high schools and colleges over the past several years -- is essentially a detailing of her teenage life.  This trying emotional anguish is elegantly displayed by Emily VanCamp, an actress perhaps best known heretofore for her work in several long-running tv dramas.  While tv certainly doesn't carry that "lower tier" stigma anymore that it perhaps once did, The Girl in the Book asks quite a lot from Ms. VanCamp and she exceeded my expectations, creating a character that was captivating and believably realistic in her emotions, actions, and reactions.  Her naturalness is matched by her younger counterpart Ana Mulvoy-Ten who captures the innocence and adventurous curiosity of a teenage girl.  Together, the two actresses have crafted a character I found to be immensely intriguing.

That said, The Girl in Book isn't quite without its faults.  I admittedly almost turned the thing off in the first fifteen minutes.  This is director Marya Cohn's first feature film and in those opening moments, things seemed sketchy visually and I found the story (also written by Cohn) initially bland and uninteresting.  I'm quite happy I stuck it out though, obviously becoming quite entranced with Alice's tale.  Granted, much like the beginning, the film's conclusion falls a bit flat, feeling too bouncy and nicely tied up considering the higher-strung emotional stakes that preceded it.  However, The Girl in the Book doesn't overstay its welcome (it's a short 85 minutes) and it gives us two of the better and certainly overlooked female performances from 2015.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Knock Knock

Knock Knock (2015)

Starring Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, and Ana de Armas 

Directed by Eli Roth

On Father's Day weekend, husband and father of two Evan (Keanu Reeves) finds himself home alone with his wife and kids out of town.  With thunder cackling, lightning streaking, and rain pouring down one evening, Evan hears a knock on his door and, upon opening it, finds two young women soaked to the core having been accidentally dropped off by Uber at the wrong house.  Evan invites them in to allow them to wait for their ride, but the two girls Genesis and Bell (Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas) begin to sexually flirt with Evan who, after initially resisting their advances, eventually succumbs to their charms.  However, when he wakes up the next morning, Evan realizes that Genesis and Bell may have some more deviant intentions than just a one night stand with a married man.

While Knock Knock has potential, its story grows tiresome after Evan wakes up following his first-ever sexual indiscretion.  Co-writers Eli Roth and Nicolás López (who were behind Aftershock, the worst film of 2013) refuse to flesh out the characters of Genesis and Bell, rather having them be motivated simply by however they want the film to turn plot-wise.  There are some tremendously ridiculous moments in the film's last two-thirds that play out as cartoonish and poorly planned rather than integral to the plot.

Color me surprised, however, that Lorenza Izzo who topped the RyMickey Awards Worst Acting list in 2013 comes off the best here.  While her character is over-the-top and oftentimes hilariously manic, Izzo showed me hints that the former model (and wife of Eli Roth) has grown a bit since I last saw her in a film.  She certainly fares better than Keanu Reeves whose dumbfounded looks and dry line readings had me laughing more than once as Knock Knock unfolded.  As he's tortured and ransacked by these two young women, Reeves' Evan had me hoping the two gals would off him sooner rather than later.

Knock Knock isn't nearly as bad as the aforementioned Aftershock, but it continues to prove that Eli Roth as an actor, director, writer, or producer may not be my cup of tea.  One of these days, I'll learn...

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Chi-Raq

Chi-Raq (2015)

Starring Teyonah Parris, Nick Cannon, Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack, Wesley Snipes, and Jennifer Hudson

Directed by Spike Lee

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

At its heart, Chi-Raq means well as it attempts -- without any modicum of nuance or subtlety -- to detail the plight of inner city violence, but director and co-writer Spike Lee's joint ultimately can't balance its tone veering sharply from comedy to tragedy and back again without any clear path.  While the flick isn't without merit, by the time the film's ridiculous (and unintentionally funny) ending rolls around, Chi-Raq has wasted any good will we in the audience may have granted it as we walk away feeling that it unfortunately disappoints despite an admirable conceit.

Cleverly updating the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes to modern-day gang-plagued Chicago, Chi-Raq begins with a violent shooting at a nightclub where rapper Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon) is performing in front of a crowd including his girlfriend Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris).  Shortly thereafter, the young daughter of Irene (Jennifer Hudson) is killed in the streets by a stray bullet when the purple-coded gang of Chi-Raq tries to retaliate for the nightclub shooting against the orange-coded gang of Cyclops (Wesley Snipes).  [Yes, the gangs have names, but they're slipping my mind at the moment.]  Lysistrata is a bit distraught following the murder of the young girl and, after speaking with the wise and older teacher-figure Miss Helen (Angela Bassett), she decides to bring the women of Chicago together and withhold sex from their men until they come to peace with each other.

At its heart (and in its basic sex strike center), Chi-Raq works as an intriguing update with Lee and his co-screenwriter Kevin Willmott instituting a rhyming nomenclature reminiscent of Shakespearean work (and modern-day rap, I guess).  However, the rest of the updating falls short because Lee as a director and writer can't grasp a proper tone.  We're given a somewhat powerful and lengthy sermon about gun violence by a preacher played by John Cusack and then mere scenes later an elderly white man is seen lustfully straddling an antique war cannon as he shouts racial epithets and deviant sexual remarks at Lysistrata in what one can only assume was Lee's attempt at comedy.  Characters are one-note caricatures as opposed to well-rounded individuals and any emotional connection to them is lost by their disappointingly written stories.

Fortunately, Teyonah Parris as the lead Lysistrata is impressive, following on the heels of an equally entertaining (and RyMickey Award-honored) performance in 2014's Dear White People.  Parris is the only character (and actor) able to deftly balance the comedic and dramatic aspects of the plot, shining brightly on both sides of the tale.  When Parris is onscreen, the film has a bit of a light emanating from it -- unfortunately, there are other aspects of this tale that simply don't work as well.

I'll give Spike Lee credit in that he really does attempt to place the blame on the violence in African American neighborhoods on a variety of reasons with heavy emphasis on black culture itself perpetuating the notion that this particular community can't better themselves.  This aspect of the film is perhaps most meaningful which is why it's all the more unfortunate that when he lays blame (perhaps justly so) on white society, he depicts them as comic, eccentric kooks.  There was great promise in Chi-Raq that is squandered too often.  In better hands, this Chi-Raq could've been something powerful.  Instead it just holds the promise of being something powerful which makes it even more sad.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Mistress America

Mistress America (2015)

Starring Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke, Matthew Shear, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Heather Lind, Michael Chernus, Cindy Cheung, and Kathryn Erbe

Directed by Noah Baumbach

***This film is currently available on HBO Now***

I simultaneously enjoyed and hated Mistress America as director/co-writer Noah Baumbach's film unfolded.  Something about the flick's two main characters -- a young college student named Tracy (Lola Kirke) and her thirty year-old soon-to-be stepsister Brooke (Greta Gerwig, who also co-wrote the film) -- had me both intrigued and appalled by their emotions, actions, and views on life.  This dichotomy was pretty consistent for me throughout the flick, but somehow, by the time the film ended, I was pleasantly amused by the proceedings in this odd screwball comedy.

Tracy is finding college difficult -- not so much in her studies, but in trying to relate with others.  On the urging of her mother (Kathryn Erbe), she calls up Brooke in an attempt to connect with the older gal who will be her stepsister.  Upon meeting her, Tracy becomes a bit entranced with Brooke's carefree, eclectic, adventurous lifestyle and it opens up the college student's eyes on how she can live her life more freely.

While the characters of Tracy and Brooke are well thought-out and fully realized, they're not exactly people with whom I really connected which is where that simultaneous enjoyment and irksomeness came into play.  Brooke, as an example, carries an aire of undeserved superiority that while appealing to the fresh-faced Tracy screams nothing but obnoxious to anyone else.  As the film progresses, however, I began to realize that this was sort of the point.  Whereas initially lauded, once Brooke's real life begins to show itself, we see that this character is more of a heartbreaking one as opposed to a vivacious being.  The film rather cleverly keeps things lighthearted throughout, but by the time the second and third acts roll around, we realize that there are deeper characterizations under the surface.

Lola Kirke is charming as the doe-eyed college student and her centered performance carries the movie.  Greta Gerwig is essentially playing nearly every other character I've seen her play before, but she admittedly has a presence about her that's undeniably watchable despite the fact that her roles are sometimes indiscernible from one another.  Here, she takes a screenplay co-written by her and creates a character that at times is grating (once again, hence the dislike of the flick at certain moments), but harbors much sorrow underneath the buoyant surface.  I'm not quite sure the character learns her lesson in the end or that she changes all that much, but I guess that's not the way life rolls sometimes. In the end Mistress America is an immensely watchable flick that while I can't say I loved was amusing enough to warrant a look.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - The Salvation

The Salvation (2015)

Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Eric Cantona, Mikael Persbrandt, Douglas Henshall, Michael Raymond-James, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Jonathan Pryce

Directed by Kristian Levring

"Out of the wreckage of the Danish defeat in the war of 1864, Jon and his brother crossed the Atlantic to forge a new future for themselves.  For seven years, they struggled to get a foothold in an unfamiliar land.

Seven years in which Jon longed for his wife, Marie, and their son.  Seven years of a family apart.  The year is 1871.  The country, America."

And with that somewhat oddly-worded opening, The Salvation begins its revenge-filled tale.  Unfortunately for Jon (Mads Mikkelsen), tragedy strikes as soon as his wife and young son come to America when a pair of men kill the new immigrants.  Jon swiftly does away with the two men, but his saddened emotional state doesn't have much time to deal with his actions as the brother (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) of one of the men Jon killed decides that the standard Old West dictum of "an eye for an eye" must be followed and begins to seek out Jon to end his life.

Westerns aren't really my cup of tea and The Salvation doesn't do much to change that notion.  It kept my attention for the most part, but the whole story has a heaviness (inherent in its plot, I realize) that makes it a bit difficult to truly enjoy.  Mads Mikkelsen is solid, nicely conveying his character's grief-stricken motivations, but much of the rest of the cast seems to be chewing up the scenery a little bit more than is necessary.  This one proves to be fine, but doesn't have a truly compelling reason for me to highly recommend it.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book (2016)

*viewed in 3D*

Starring Neel Sethi and featuring the voice talent of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, and Christopher Walken

Directed by Jon Favreau

Exquisitely filmed with some of the best integration of computer-generated animation and live action acting I've ever seen, director Jon Favreau's reimagining of Disney's 1967 version of The Jungle Book is stunning to watch.  Unfortunately, it also left me feeling somewhat bored, pondering the notion why Disney feels the need to keep rehashing their prior successes instead of formulating new and original ideas.  Much like last year's Kenneth Branagh adaptation of Cinderella and, to a lesser extent, 2014's Maleficent, the production quality of these recent live action updates is undeniably stellar, but I have to wonder if I'll ever be emotionally moved by them seeing as how I've already seen the animated originals.

We all know the story here -- Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi) is a young boy who was somehow abandoned in the jungle and ends up being raised by a pack of wolves led by Akela and Raksha (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito and Lupita Nyong'o).  Thanks to a bit more ominous storyline than in the original animated film, it's decided that Mowgli must be taken to the man village to be raised with other humans.  Panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) begins the journey with Mowgli, but they are soon separated at which point the young boy comes across a lazy bear named Baloo (Bill Murray) and a friendship quickly ensues.  With Baloo willing to keep Mowgli company, Mowgli sees no reason to continue on to the man village, but little does he know that the vicious tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) seeks to end the young boy's life.

I'll give the film credit for going darker than the original and giving Mowgli's initial existence in the jungle a bit more of a backstory, but beyond that, the film mirrors very closely to the original in terms of overall plot.  Admittedly, when I reviewed the original, I found it a little episodic and Favreau's version is surprisingly able to solve that issue.  This live action version flows like a more singular piece of material rather than a melange of character meetings.  However, it never gripped me and pulled me in to the story in any way.  There was never any sense of dread for any of the characters nor any sense of excitement because I knew where the story was heading.

Young Neel Sethi deserves a lot of credit.  As the only speaking live-action human in the cast, he more than captivates and holds our attention.  His comedic timing is spot on and considering he stars with a cast of all computer animated creatures, his acting ability deserves commendation.  The voice cast is also stellar.  I loved the mellifluous slyness of George Sanders' vocalization of Shere Khan in the original, but Idris Elba's menacing anger in this updated version may win out for me in the end.  Similarly, Bill Murray as Baloo and Ben Kingsley as Bagheera strike a nice balance of paying a bit of homage to the original vocals while also crafting their own tones.  However, by the time Christopher Walken's King Louie comes into the picture, I found myself shrugging my shoulders and not really caring because I knew exactly what the end result was going to be at the end of the scene.

Admittedly, I find myself in a bit of a conundrum with 2016's The Jungle Book.  I think it's a better movie than the original and the special effects are incredibly realistic, but I also find myself oddly detached from the proceedings in the update because the story is too similar.  Therein lies the problem with these recent Disney updates.  Although they may be well-crafted, they lack any emotional oomph because they don't do enough to reinvigorate or reimagine the stories we know so well.  Maybe my mind will change when next year's reimagining of Beauty and the Beast comes out...but I will not get my hopes up in the slightest.  As for this version of The Jungle Book, it's certainly good, but perhaps it'd be better if you were completely unfamiliar with the Disney source material.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Love

Love (2015)

Starring Karl Glusman, Aomi Muyock, and Klara Kristin

Directed by Gaspar Noé

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

What exactly makes a movie "porn?"  Is it actual non-simulated sex onscreen?  Because if that's the case, Netflix is totally allowing the public to access porn via its streaming service with the movie Love, a flick by odd auteur Garpar Noé whose two previous films I've seen -- Enter the Void and Irrréversible -- place sex front and center in both positive and negative lights.  Love certainly doesn't change that emphasis as this lengthy flick -- clocking in at over two hours - takes a minimal story and amps it up by depicting real sex amongst his actors.  Love actually works for about an hour or so, but then the lack of story really begins to rear its ugly head (ugh...I guess that could be a sexual pun if you so wish) and all we're left with is sex.

And don't get me wrong -- the sex here is filmed in quite an exquisite manner.  Noé knows eroticism, I'll give him that.  But when the nudity is stripped away, the tale of Murphy (Karl Glusman), an American twentysomething living in Paris, is bland.  An aspiring director (because that allows his character to be pretentious by talking about "great" films and their effect on his life), Murphy has fallen for Electra (Aomi Muyock), a French artist, and in order to spice up their love life, they decide to invite their new neighbor Omi (Klara Kristin) to join them for a threesome.  After a very successful ménage à trois, Murphy gets a little overexcited while Electra is out of town and a subsequent one-on-one encounter with Omi leaves her pregnant.  What's an a-hole like Murphy to do?

Told almost entirely in flashback with the bookends of Murphy dealing with the fact that he's a father to his and Omi's newborn son, Love simply doesn't have the story to cultivate interest.  Once we grow acclimated to the risqué sex (which happens about an hour in after the admittedly engaging sexual trio sequence), there's nothing here.  I read an article in which Noé stated that he wanted Love to be like a musical -- in a musical you're always waiting for the next song to come around and here you're always waiting for the sex.  That's all well and good, but in a musical, the songs forward the purpose of the story.  Here, the sex rarely does that.  Sure, there are a few scenes that give us a glimpse into the inevitability of the tortured relationship between Murphy and Elektra, but those moments are few and far between.

The main cast is unsurprisingly made up of relative newcomers and it often shows.  Klara Kristin fares the best, but her role of Omi is unfortunately featured the least.  Karl Glusman is passable as Murphy, but about halfway through the film his character gradually begins to become an unwatchable pompous prick and any interest that the audience had in him begins to disintegrate.  Aomi Muyock undoubtedly fares the worst.  In her more quiet moments with her character, she's actually moderately successful, but when she's asked to be angry or upset, she's laughable.  It's in those moments where the audience should've felt some connection and sympathy for her, but instead Muyock is completely unable to draw us in to her character's plight.

Gaspar Noé is an intriguing director.  That said, I think he's the kind of guy who thinks his films are more cinematically important than they really are.  Quite frankly, if you take away the sex from Love, there's absolutely nothing here so any purported idea of importance is hogwash.  He can certainly film a sex scene, but his concept of story here is decidedly limp.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - I Smile Back

I Smile Back (2015)

Starring Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Skylar Gaertner, Shayne Coleman, and Thomas Sadoski

Directed by Adam Salky

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

Very rarely will you ever see me write that I wish a film would've been longer, but that's the case with I Smile Back, a captivating look the addictions (drug, alcohol, sexual) facing a suburban mother who desperately wants to get better, but struggles to succeed.  Comedian Sarah Silverman takes on a hefty dramatic role as Laney Brooks, a married mom of two whose typical day may include dropping her kids off at school and then driving the minivan to a hotel room for a tryst with her lover who also happens to supply with her with cocaine and prescription meds.  Sounds like a blast, huh?

In the first screenplay by writer Paige Dylan, we get a nicely rounded character in Laney as both the director Adam Salky and actress Silverman herself add depth to the well-written role.  When the film focuses on Laney, it's entirely successful.  Unfortunately, as we branch out to other characters -- particularly when Laney spends time with her children -- some of the dialog feels trite and some of the scenes seem ill-conceived and never really pay off with any dramatic emphasis.  While I understand the importance of showing Laney's downward spiral and how it affects her relationship with her kids, I never found myself latching on to this aspect of the story in a meaningful way and quite frankly, considering the subject matter of a mother going off the deep end, I should've.

However, overall, this is an indie movie that proves to be an unflinching look at addiction.  As mentioned, although I wanted the film to go on (which is certainly a credit to the screenwriter, director, and lead actress), the film ends on a note that causes the viewer to really ponder Laney's past and future journeys.  Silverman (nominated for a Screen Actor's Guild award for Best Actress) is captivating and engaging, showcasing that she definitely has the dramatic chops to tackle a role like this.  Here's hoping we see more of this in her future.  As for the film itself, it's well worth 85 minutes of your time and while it may have a few problems, its positives undoubtedly outweigh its negatives.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Macbeth

Macbeth (2015)

Starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, David Thewlis, and Sean Harris

Directed by Justin Kurzel

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

I've always said that you have to be in the mood to watch Shakespeare and I thought I was when I started director Justin Kurzel's iteration of Macbeth...but the heaviness and gloom combined with whispered and sometimes unintelligible dialog (which is never a good thing in a Shakespearean adaptation since the Bard's words are sometimes difficult to grasp) make this adaptation quite a slog.  Truth be told, Macbeth isn't one of my favorite Shakespeare dramas so that may have something to do with my displeasure here, but I had hoped that this cinematic piece would've enlightened me a little bit into Shakespeare's tale of a good guy turned very bad and with one exception that simply isn't the case in the slightest.

Quite frankly, the storyline here, particularly at the beginning, is incomprehensible.  If this were one's first venture into Macbeth, you could never be admonished for not understanding what in the hell is going on.  The heavy Scottish accents, mumbled words, and whispered verse are difficult with which to acclimate oneself.  I tried for forty minutes, but then had to give in and turn on the subtitles -- oh, well.  About an hour in once our title character (played by Michael Fassbender) really takes control of the fiefdom and his wife (Marion Cotillard) begins to recognize the monstrous man she's created, I began to gain interest, but it was too little too late as the dour heaviness of the production just weighs down any modicum of interest.

What the film does do right in terms of the story -- and the few times that the otherwise unemotional and cold Fassbender and Cotillard really shine -- is showcasing the impact that the loss of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's infant son had on them.  The film's most powerful moments revolve around paternity and lineage, and my eyes are actually newly opened to this aspect in Shakespeare's work.  Kudos in that regard to Justin Kurzel, but while his film contains some beautiful stark cinematography which is admirably shot, that aforementioned dirge-like atmosphere never ends.  The bleak and dismal environment isn't the least bit entertaining or captivating and makes this Macbeth an aggravating failure.

The RyMickey Rating:  D 

Movie Review - American Ultra

American Ultra (2015)

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Tony Hale, and Bill Pullman

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh

I recorded American Ultra on the DVR during a free preview weekend of some pay cable network and before watching it, I deleted it.  Did I really wanna watch a movie whose main character is a stoner pot smoker?  In the opening minutes, Jesse Eisenberg's Mike Howell and Kristen Stewart's Phoebe Larson must've lit up at least five times.  Longtime blog readers know that I'm not a huge fan of drugs mixing with comedy -- I just feel it's an easy, cheap way to elicit laughs -- so I actually deleted the film.  For some reason, though, I decided to restore it to my DVR and give it a go -- and I'm glad I did.  American Ultra isn't going to set the world on fire, but its ultra-violent premise yielded enough laughs (in a non-drug-centric manner) and a clever, well-acted story that I found myself pleasantly surprised.

Mike is a convenience store clerk who, when not smoking pot, spends his free time hanging out with his girlfriend Phoebe and writing a comic book about a heroic ape.  One evening, Mike is approached at the store by a strange although very put-together and sophisticated woman (Connie Britton) who begins babbling some nonsensical words to him.  Mike shrugs off the exchange, but minutes later when he's jumped by two guys, Mike goes into violent beast mode, attacking and killing the duo with ease.  Mike slowly begins to realize that he may have been programmed by the government to commit such crimes and now that he's been "activated," some government officials may want him dead.

Moving along at a rather rapid clip, American Ultra smartly doesn't overstay its welcome because its entire story is essentially summed up in that aforementioned paragraph.  Without a huge amount of plot, we're instead treated to incredibly violent set pieces that are played for laughs -- a tricky balance to achieve, but executed successfully for the most part by relative newcomer director Nima Nourizadeh.  Tarantino-level in their graphicness, the violence is undoubtedly over-the-top and at times unbelievable, but the film is able to cleverly get the audience to embrace the insanity because the flick's main character can't believe what he's seeing either.  Stoner Mike's expert combat techniques are just as incomprehensible to him as they are to us in the audience so that surprisingly immediately connects us to the character and allows us to "accept" the elevated violence because we're on the same page as Mike.

Eisenberg and Stewart are a nice match for one another, although neither lights the world on fire here.  They're both a bit too monotone throughout for my liking, but that's really their acting style most of the time, I've always felt.  The supporting cast of Connie Britton and Topher Grace as CIA agents respectively for and against Mike are enjoyable, bringing some additional laughs to the flick.  My review may be slightly overpraising American Ultra which is by no means exceptional, but it was a bit of a surprise for me.  Certainly not for everyone, the flick is much better than I ever expected.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-