Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

Scott Pilgrim plays out like a live-action video game with sound effects, tokens, pee bar and all. It's a great riff off the all too typical teen comedy. It has angst, attitude and quirkiness thanks to Edgar Wright and it still finds time to be utterly hilarious. Michael Cera plays his typical awkward young man which is no surprise. However,  Anna Kendrick, Kieran Culkin, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Brie Larson and Jason Schwartzman among others bring a lot of wit. So much sass to go around; it's quite entertaining.

I will say it again that this film is an extremely absurd journey as we watch Scott battle Ramona's (Winstead) seven evil exes. He has a complicated former relationship of his own with Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) who never stopped loving him. Then there's his doting younger sister Stacey (Kendrick) and his roommate Wallace (Culkin), who is always ready with some tough love or advice.

The destination seems obvious. Scott has to defeat the exes to get Ramona for his own, but it is not quite that easy. It never is and this film becomes about the path that these characters take. It's not your typical formatted film, so leave your reservations outside. During its most enjoying moments it becomes an utterly entertaining live-action-cartoon, musical mash-up adventure set in Canada. Don't ask questions, just watch it for yourself. It's certainly one of the more unique films in recent memory.

4/5 Stars

Before Midnight (2013)

Well, I was expecting great things from this film as the third installment in an intriguing romantic trilogy. I will admit that at first I thought it was decent but I was not blown away.

My favorite moment had to be near the middle when Jesse and Celine took a walk through the ancient streets of Greece. Their conversation was reminiscent of the previous two films and I appreciated that.

However, the beginning of the film was filled with family moments, discussions with friends and little time of Jesse and Celine alone like the years before.

When they finally were alone they were quick to argue and lose their tempers over familial issues and seemingly petty problems. Even to the end of the film, their relationship seemed perhaps more creaky than it had ever been.

However, over time I realized that these things that I did not like made the relationship of Jesse and Celine all the more realistic. They are not the starry eyed kids or the young lovers meeting up for romance. They have children, strained relationships with former spouses, more wrinkles, full time jobs, and 40 years under their belts, and that is the way that real life often is.

I'm not sure if Celine and Jesse will ever be brought back to screen, but I know that I was ultimately satisfied with the place we left them at. As Ethan Hawke said it all began as a story about what might be, then it was a film about what should be, and Before Midnight was the film about what actually is. Linklater did us a favor by not giving into the conventions that we are so often used to because he was never one to do that before, sunrise or sunset. His lovingly crafted romance would not sink to that level and should not sink to that level. It remained true to itself and even if it was not what I wanted, it was what was called for.

Who knows, 9 years down the road we might get another installment, until then I will be content with the love story Linklater, Hawke and Delphy so graciously gifted us. It's not perfect by any means but it's genuine and that is far better.

4.5/5 Stars

Birdman (2014)

In the opening shot a man is in his tidy-whities levitating in midair. This is one of those films that can never be figured out completely or never fully dissected in its entirety. It's a meta film on a whole lot of levels. You could say that Michael Keaton is playing a version of himself named Riggan Thomson. He used to be a superstar in the popular superhero series Birdman. That ended back in 1992. Now he's old and washed up attempting to revive himself in an adaption of a Raymond Carver play. Robert Downey Jr. is the guy with the type of box office draw that he used to have.  He is constantly fighting his own inner demons that plays like the voice of the Birdman in his head. The character he used to be is so closely tied to his identity that Riggan has trouble getting away from it.

The film follows the loss of one of their lead actors to an accident and there is a rush to find someone else before their first preview showing. They want Michael Fassbender or Jeremy Renner and yet they do get lucky in Mike Shiner (Edward Shiner). However, much like Norton in real life, Shiner proves to be a handful but also a star performer who the public love. Riggan needs him and his best friend and lawyer Jake (Zach Galifinakis) pleads with him to say with Shiner. All the previews are a disaster: Mike breaks character over some gin, he tries and have sex with actress and former lover Lesley (Naomi Watts) on stage. To add insult to injury Riggans locks himself out of the theater and thus begins his frantic pilgrimage through Time Square in only his underwear.

Riggans wrote, directed in this play to overcompensate for all his failures. He even refinances his house to cover the cost. He's spent. His daughter and former drug addict Sam (Emma Stone) is his assistant and although they don't see eye to eye they try to be real with each other. She too is a screw up, but she sees in him someone who confuses love for adoration. He worries about relevancy, fading away and he is scared to death that he might not matter. In as many words she tells him to join the club because every member of humanity has these same fears nearly everyday of their existence. He is no different.

Following the final preview critic Tabitha Dickinson says she will tear his play apart because he is one of those Hollywood celebrities masquerading as an actor. After a rough evening the Birdman comes back to haunt him before the big opening.

Then, opening night comes and Riggan seems strangely aloof on a night with so much riding on it. He does the unthinkable when in his final scene he uses a real gun and points and fires it on himself. The crowds are as surprised as the viewer before bursting into thunderous applause. Riggan has unwittingly become a sensation on Twitter and on the theater circuit.

The story ends in the hospital with Riggan reconciling himself with his daughter Sam. It looks like it could take a fatal turn, because the specter of Birdman still remains and yet with Sam we get to see something extraordinary and at the same time ridiculous happen. They don't call him birdman for nothing.

Birdman has received a great deal of notice for its cinematography that was spliced together to look like one continuous shot. At first it feels a bit gimmicky watching the camera self-consciously spiral around the actors, but it slowly becomes the routine. It feels like a Goodfellas tracking shot on steroids and it certainly hearkens back to Hitchcock's Rope as we often find ourselves following characters from behind down hallways or going from interiors to exteriors. It's certainly a different perspective of the world.

There are moments that it looked like Edward Norton or Emma Stone might steal the show but by the end it is still evident that this is Michael Keaton's film. This is a story about his struggle. This is his version of Sunset Boulevard that he must overcome. It also has an overarching blend of magic and realism that makes it hard to parse through what the true reality is. But by the end that is far from necessary because this is a meta experience that is layered and inverted in such a way that makes it fascinating. We think we have our feet on the ground, firmly planted, but we never do and we are never allowed to.

At times it rather feels like we are in Manet's painting Bar at the Folies Bergere. It becomes difficult to tell if we are in the audience are simply part of the film. We lose our self in the metaness that acts as the thin dividing line between what is real and what is fictitious. There is a magic in that just as there is a kind of supernatural energy in Riggan Thomson himself. However, he does not get wholly lost in that because he is a messed-up human being like the rest of us so matter how mystical he is, there still is an unmistakable resonance to his story. Thomson would be happy to know that he is relevant just like we are all relevant in some way, shape or form. It just depends on who you ask. It failed to hit me until afterwards, that Birdman is a humorous film where the humor often gets forgotten behind the more philosophical and human aspects. There's nothing quite like it.

4.5/5 Stars

Whiplash (2014)

If ever there was the Devil's incarnate, it isn't Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), he's probably meaner and harder to nail down. In the world of musicians there is no school more prestigious than Shaffer Conservatory in New York and that's where young drumming prodigy Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) finds himself learning the ropes. Like most of the people there music is his life and its what drives him. His dream is to be the next Buddy Rich. Most people don't know who that is but he does and that's enough.

Nieman thinks he's made the big time when he gets made the alternative drummer in the orchestra of conductor Terrence Fletcher, a man who seems strict, but still highly passionate about music. Andrew looks to prove himself and let his talent shine through.

He has no idea what he's getting himself into. He watches with surprise as Fletcher tosses a member of his band out for being out of tune in a rehearsal of Whiplash. Except it was the other guy, but Fletcher feels it's just as well since the guy didn't know he wasn't out o tune. Obviously he was not a true musician.

Thus, Andrew gets a taste of this sadistic treatment all in the name of art and music. He gets a chair hurled at him. He gets repeatedly slapped for being off tempo. It becomes clear all too soon that Fletcher is a merciless two-faced monster who does everything in his power to improve HIS band at all costs. He never ceases berating, belittling, cursing like a sailor, name-calling and inducing physical harm. He doesn't care as long as it leads to results improving performance.

About this time Andrew awkwardly asks out the cute girl at the movie theater and they share an awkward date of 2nd rate pizza joint. It's a cute beginning with some real promise. As far as family goes, his dad is loving man, but Andrew has some real familial conflict with his relatives. They see his aspirations as small potatoes and he likewise sees them as nobodys who are full of themselves. It's mutual distaste.

Andrew's education continues on an intense path when by a fluke he becomes core drummer. Fletcher also calls Andrew out that he needs to practice and it becomes a game of survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed. Dog eat dog. Fletcher has no sympathy or emotional attachment. All that matters is fielding the best band he can. He works his three drummers to the point of pure exhaustion, hands blooding, drenched in sweat before Andrew finally gets the tempo right just to his liking.

He has his chance once more but on the day of the big Jazz competition Andrew runs into some roadblocks and is hardly capable of playing Fletcher gives Andrew the boot and the enraged drummer tackles him to the floor. Days later he is expelled from Shaffer while a lawyer is also digging around about Fletcher's conduct. Andrew reluctantly agrees to blow the whistle on him and he has to go from there.

By this point the question must be asked. Who is truly insane here? Yes, Fletcher is a nightmare and a tyrant of epic proportions. But what drives someone to do what Andrew does? He drums until his fingers are so ripped up they bleed through bandages. He breaks up with his girlfriend Nicole all in the name of progress in his career. Perhaps craziest of all he continues to follow Fletcher until his expulsion. It got to the point that he was losing all touch with reality because drumming was everything. Completely blinded by obsession, spiraling further and further into the abyss that was consuming him.

In many ways those two were made for each other and one day they meet on the inside. Andrew no longer a student and Fletcher now fired from his position. Now they just want to play music for the sake of music. Fletcher needs a drummer for a jazz festival he is competing in and Andrew obliges because he cannot stay away from it forever. Of course his nemesis pulls one last dirty trick but it was out of this play that Andrew realizes himself as a true musical artist letting his hands lead him on an emotional Odyssey of snares and cymbals. For one instant he has Fletcher's approval and the euphoria of the beats rushes over him. This is all he ever wanted.

Whiplash is a film that is squirm-inducing. Utterly painful and terrifying to watch thanks impart to the performances of J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller. Teller is inherently likable and that's what made his turn in the Spectacular Now (2013) so gratifying. His character Andrew is on the complete other side of the spectrum however. He's utterly friendless and singly-minded, geared towards one thing and one thing only. Teller proved that he could play this role and it is purposely left ambiguous what happens next. He lost his girlfriend and he got expelled, but what are we supposed to feel for him. Pity, sadness or disapproval? J.K. Simmons was just wow... Director Damien Chazelle did a remarkable job editing Whiplash to fit the theme of drumming. It is completely on form with its frenetic fury to its merciless cutting. It will not give us a break or let us relax, underlying the generally insane tempo of this film. The name "Whiplash" from Hank Levy's composition was perfect. Beautiful but completely unnerving.

4.5/5 Stars

2015 Oscar Predictions

BEST PICTURE: BOYHOOD


BEST ACTOR: MICHAEL KEATON

BEST ACTRESS: ROSAMUND PIKE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: J.K. SIMMONS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: PATRICIA ARQUETTE

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: BIG HERO 6 (REALLY THE LEGO MOVIE)

CINEMATOGRAPHY: BIRDMAN

COSTUME DESIGN: GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

DIRECTING: BOYHOOD

FILM EDITING: WHIPLASH

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: IDA

MAKEUP AND HAIR-STYLING: GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

MUSIC ORIGINAL SCORE: INTERSTELLAR

MUSIC ORIGINAL SONG: GLORY

PRODUCTION DESIGN: GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

SOUND EDITING: INTERSTELLAR

SOUND MIXING: WHIPLASH

VISUAL EFFECT: INTERSTELLAR

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: THE IMITATION GAME

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: BIRDMAN

The Way Way Back (2013)

I'm not one to usually laugh out loud during movies but for some reason I felt this sensation during this film. There were a lot of things that seemed to suggest that I should have rated this film lower but I could not help but give it four stars. Maybe it is the nostalgia it created or the typical coming of age story made interesting by some solid characters. Maybe it just reminded me of the times I use to go to water parks. I'm not sure.

Duncan has a life that I would not envy with a Step-father who calls him a 3 out of 10. However, he finds meaning and acceptance where he never expected to. The ending might be bittersweet but it was mostly sweet. There were a lot of supporting characters in this one. A lot of them only popped up on screen for a bit but for the most part they worked well. I think Liam James and Sam Rockwell stole the show though. Their camaraderie really made this film!

4/5 Stars

The Imitation Game (2014)

When you think of decisive moments in WWII the conversation leads often to D-Day, The Battle of Midway, The Russian Front and The Battle of the Atlantic. If Britain had been cut off from U.S. supplies the case could be made that The Allies would have undoubtedly lost the war. That's where the Enigma cipher comes into play and along with it Alan Turing. 

Alan Turing is one of the unsung heroes of WWII and in many ways the father of modern computers. He's a big deal and it's hard to make that point enough. That's what makes it exciting he finally got the biopic treatment and with a portrayal by Benedict Cumberbatch no less. It does not get much better than that!

As far as biopics go The Imitation Game is a polished period piece set in War torn Britain spanning the years of WWII into the early 1950s. Visually beautiful, scored nicely and generally uplifting, it feels as wonderfully English as a cup of tea and the English countryside. Although the film at times may trod the typical path of other troubled-genius type films  it often rises above the usual based-on-a-true-story fray. A primary reason for this is Benedict Cumberbatch who plays Turing not with dramatic outbursts, bravado and bluster, but quite the opposite. 

In the year 1939 Turing, a professor at the time, attempted to join the top secret project at Bletchley Park to crack the German's Enigma code. He seems like an odd candidate for the job since he has only an affinity for puzzles and no knowledge of German, but that proves to be unimportant.

He has the right amount of vision paired with obsession to come at the problem like no one before him. He does not just want to crack one of the tedious strings, he wishes to crack them all using a machine. It was absolutely unheard of and his colleagues discount him understandably because he is not much of a team player and far from a social butterfly. However, he discovers a worthy ally in Susan Clarke (Keira Knightley) who proves to be indispensable in his work as well as repairing his rapport with the team.  

With the prospect of all his work with the machine being wasted and terminated, his colleagues back him up in front of his superiors. Turing has one last chance to succeed and someway, somehow he succeeds. But success does not come without great responsibility. Once they have the weapon to counter the Germans they must use it cautiously only taking the most necessary steps. It becomes clear that there is a fine line between playing God with human lives and winning a war. 

The war is won in the end however, and the top secret endeavor is disbanded. Alan Turing is far from a war hero, because few know what he did. His only label is indecency and he is given the option of imprisonment or hormones in response to his charges of same sex attraction. A year later he committed suicide at the age of 41.

Cumberbatch is seemingly the perfect Turing with all the quirks you would expect. Except there are also traces of sensitivity and he so adeptly shows subtle emotions on his face. He was an oft tortured man inside and out, spanning from his boarding school years to his post-war existence. 

Keira Knightley on her part is enjoyable as a counterpoint remaining true to Turing no matter the circumstances. 

Obviously you can always call into question the accuracy of these types of films and no doubt artistic liberties were taken, but all in all The Imitation Game did a commendable job of painting a picture of a man's life in a very different age. Alan Turing finally got the credit he was due and it was done with a great deal of sensitivity, heart and even humor which mostly overshadowed any saccharine moments. 

4/5 Stars

Boyhood (2014)

Surely others have said this already but Boyhood struck a chord with me and it was the prettiest of melodies.  Pure and simple in its brilliance.

This is not my childhood by any means or my life or my family, but there are glimpses of it here. Quick flashbulbs or touchstones that for a brief instant take me back. Sometimes many years ago are just one or two. Nostalgia is the strangest type of memory for a young person, because we are transcending the space between the here and now, which we are so used to and going to the "back then."

12 years is a long time but even more so when you have fewer years under your belt. Thus, Boyhood in comparison to my own life is an epic film in every sense of the word. Whereas it might only be a wonderful coming of age tale for older generations, there is a feeling that this film in some small way represents where I'm coming from.

A film could never fully encapsulate or perfectly represent what it is to grow up in adolescence. It's different for every child depending on where they live, what their family is like and so on. But Boyhood is a unprecedented depiction of what that existence looks like to many young people. There is certainly something special and important in that.

There are so many different vignettes, almost like short films characterizing each and every year in Mason Jr.'s life. We are given no blatant indication of time and place. It is all context clues, cultural references and watching Mason and his family grow and evolve around him. Always innovative Richard Linklater does not hold out a giant megaphone saying this happened that year or this year. Instead Mason's story plays out like it would in the so-called "real world." There are some major milestones or life-shaping moments that are shown, but most of this journey has to do with the little caches of time that make up life.

I feel drawn to do something that I don't normally do, but Boyhood is such a unique film it deserves to be approached in a different light since to put it cannot be pigeonholed in any standard category.

Instead of trying to acknowledge the entire narrative of Mason's life which would be as impossible with him as with anyone else, I want to give reference to the many moments and bits and pieces that Linklater placed either by accident on purpose. The fact is Boyhood is chock full of these markers of the passage of time which make it a fascinating journey of human life.

Here we go, get ready:

Coldplay's Yellow over the credits
Britney Speares fandom
Star War dilemna: Yoda vs. Grievous
Game Boys and Wave Boards
The Astros' Rocket Roger Clemens
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
The Landlord - Will Ferrell
High School Musical - We're All in This Together
Wii Boxing with a Nunchuk
Presidential Election in 2008
Facebook profiles
The Dark Knight
Phoenix - 1901
Twilight books
War in Iraq and Afghanistan
Lady Gaga and Beyonce
Iphone Facetiming
Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know
Atlas Genius - Trojan

and on and on....

Against this backdrop the separation of Mason's parents (Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette) takes center stage. Next follows another failed relationship riddled with abuse. Switching cities and starting a new life followed by another step-dad and another failed marriage. Then dad (Hawke) gets remarried and it actually works out. There's peer pressure and experimentation. Girls become a big deal. Photography is a passion. Sister (Lorelei Linklater) goes through the  rebellious phase. High School graduation comes around and college soon after. Breakups happen and life still continues ever onward.

You could make an argument that Linklater could have gone on longer. He could have wrapped everything up nice and neat or cheated and fast forwarded to the end. But that was not his way out and it did not have to to be. College is a major moment of change, confusion and finding oneself so in a sense it is a fitting place to leave Mason behind.

He remained introspective, philosophical, and aloof for the majority of his life despite family of origins issues and the like. It is mind boggling to think of all the people cycled in and out of his life. Ever changing and often forgotten.

Thus, Boyhood is a gift to us for a multitude of reasons, but hopefully its visual biography of Mason Jr. will lead us down memory lane and cause us to consider our path. For most of us we have more than 12 years in front of us. Let us use our time well and wholeheartedly navigate the realities of life whether it is movie worthy or not. It's our life and that's all that matters.

4.5/5 Stars

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Time loops are fun. Scratch that. They're fun to think about and to watch as an audience in your comfy armchair, but they get old real fast for movie characters. Just ask public affairs officer-turned-time looper William Cage (Tom Cruise).

He's a indolent former advertising agent who wants no part of the actual fighting that is taking place in Europe with a mysterious alien army of so-called Mimics. In his attempts to avoid combat he ends up handcuffed, stripped of his rank of Major and shipped off to a base at Heathrow. His worst nightmare is becoming reality as he is quickly thrown into the front lines were he is headed to face the enemy  without any training. He is an absolute pitiful mess and his platoon mates spare him no mercy. After all he's a sniveling complainer.

He's just as incompetent on the battlefield and it becomes obvious he's not going to last long (There's potential for a very short movie). But before he gets killed by one of the aliens its blood covers him. Did you get that? Although seemingly insignificant the whole film soon hinges on this fact.

Where does he wake up? No not hell or heaven, but back at Heathrow airport handcuffs and all with a superior yelling at him yet again. He's back in this nightmare once more and it continues for the rest of the film.

Honestly, Edge of Tomorrow is an awful name for this film. The tagline Live. Die. Repeat. is a little closer. At least it gets at the heart of what this sci-fi tale is about. In a similar vain as Phil Connors in Groundhog Day, Cage first gets acclimated to his new ability to experience a moment in time. He learns how to manipulate and navigate it to help him, but as would be expected it gets tiresome and monotonous. With great power comes great responsibility, difficulty and fatigue.

Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. Slowly but surely Cage makes it farther and father against the mimics joining forces with famed soldier Rita Vrataski who is the poster girl for this noble war (Emily Blunt). Her early advice, 'Come find me when you wake up,' is the strangest of greetings, but starts the ball rolling. In a world where humanity is continually walking into an ambush, they are the only two who comprehend what is happening. Vrataski knows because she used to have Cage's ability but lost it so he is the new hope. Live. Die. Repeat. Live. Die. Repeat. She shapes him into a more efficient fighter over numerous time loops and gives him more insight into their enemy. He's getting sick and tired of getting killed too. Live. Die. Repeat. etc.

He starts seeing visions of the Omega (the nucleus of the mimic), but they soon realize that the mimic is leading them on. Live. Die. Repeat. By this point Cage has gone through so much with Vrataski and he cannot bear to see her continually dying. They finally locate the whereabouts of the Omega but after numerous failures they finally run out of second chances. Cage loses his ability to loop, like Vrataski before him, needing a blood transfusion to pull through. Live or Die. No repeat this time.

Thus, begins their descent into the throes of their foe towards the Louvre where the Omega is. However, this time Cage convinces his squad to help and they prove their worth. An alpha comes after Cage and Vrataski as he blows up the Omega with a pack of grenades. There's a instant of doubt, an uneasy feeling. Live. Die. Repeat...

Except now Major William Cage is back on the helicopter. No stripping of rank, no orders to the front lines and with a newly weakened enemy. The nightmare is over so it seems and Cage is twice the man he was before. Only one thing matters. You guessed it. He goes looking for Sergeant Vrataski and sure enough there she is where he always found her before. She greets him with the same curtness as he smiles knowingly and most definitely with relief. For the last time or the first depending on how you see it.

Quick cut to credits and Love Me Again by John Newman and its all over. It's an ending that we hate as an audience but it is the right one. As far as modern sci-fi films go, this one reminded me a bit of Source Code and Looper. Similarly once you bought into the premise and invested in the setup it proved to be a smart and entertaining ride.

Tom Cruise proved he can still do action movies and Emily Blunt carried the film with a toughness that would have made Ellen Ripley proud. This may be summer blockbuster material, but it's a worthwhile one that takes us for a loop. Awful pun intended.

4/5 Stars

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

On the farthest Eastern boundary of the European continent makes the perfect landscape for a new addition to the quirky Wes Anderson canon. But more on that later. First our story.

It gains inspiration from the writings of forgotten Viennese  author of the 30s and 40s Stefan Zweig. In fact the author's own plot device is used in this story of friendship, love and murder. An inquisitive writer (Jude Law) from the 1960s becomes intrigued by the aging proprietor of the Grand Budapest Hotel Zero Moustaffa (F. Murray Abraham).

The rather mysterious figure is glad to tell his story and how he came to acquire the iconic hotel. And that's where our true story begins back in 1932 with concierge and small time celebrity M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes). He is a dying breed of a man, full of culture, a bit effeminate and known to wine and dine older patrons. He also has an immense of affinity of poetry.

It was under his leadership that the young, stoic bellboy Zero got his start. What an exciting beginning it was.  One of Gustave's most faithful patrons Madame D (Tilda Swinton) dies suddenly and he is bequeathed the priceless painting Boy with Apple.

The family of the deceased is in an uproar led by belligerent son Dmitri (Adrien Brody). Soon Gustave has become the strangest of fugitives as he is wanted for murder of the old lady.

During that time young love springs up and Zero meets the love of his life Agatha (Saoirse Roman), a spunky baker who returns his affection.

Now the imprisoned Gustave takes part in an escape attempt a la Le Trou except this rendition is successful to a degree. Faithful Zero meets up with his mentor and Gustave turns to the only ones he can. The concierges from all the surrounding area. They oblige getting the two fugitives away but soon Dmitiri's cold-blooded assassin Jopling (Willem Dafoe) is on their tails at a local monastery.

War is imminent and back at the Grand Budapest things do not look promising.  The ever fearless Agatha agrees to go fetch Boy with Apple but she is soon spotted and pursued by the ever brutish Dmitiri who tries to use his gun. That's not a smart thing when all the rooms are full of quartered soldiers and a chaotic gunfight ensues.

In the aftermath a second will is uncovered that makes M. Gustave the sole owner of the Grand Budapest and many other possessions that Madame D owned. In a Deja Vu moment Gustave and Zero ride the train once again before getting boarded and questioned. Always the gentlemen, Gustave defends Zero who is targeted for his immigration status. It was in that way the story ends and returns to the young author and eldery Zero Moustaffa.

He never could bear to give up the Grand Budapest despite the toll of Communism. It's not because of Gustave, but his dear Agatha who died only two years after. It's his only link to the happiest times of his life.

What The Grand Budapest Hotel ends up being is an odd mix of black comedy and romantic sentiment all wrapped up in an Anderson world.

His shots are often framed symmetrically and muted pastels abound as well as scaled miniatures creating his always distinctive misc-en-scene. He is also a fan of a smooth moving camera  often involving zooms.

Anderson is obviously a student of cinema and his film at times is reminiscent to 30s fair such as Grand Hotel and The Rules of the Game. He also channels another famed Viennese Ernst Lubitsch who was a master of high brow romantic comedies.

Hotel also boast a superb cast comprising most of Anderson's stock company. If there's anyone who has been in more than one of his movies, they are probably in this one, even for just an instant.

So given the normal Wes Anderson flair or eccentricities this film is visually pleasing and quite entertaining. It is a worthy follow up to Moonrise Kingdom darling.

4/5 stars

Ida (2013)

At hardly an hour and 20 minutes, you would think Ida has very little to offer, but that just is not the truth whatsoever. Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski blessed us with a nuanced film full of power and strangely pleasing visuals. Its stark yet crisp black and white cinematography did not have to be that way, but it looks absolutely beautiful.

In the opening sequence we see a young nun carving a statue and then carrying it to the grounds outside. We realize it depicts Christ and it feels rather reminiscent of La Dolce Vita and yet this film has a note of reverence.

We have been transposed to Poland during the 1960s where novice nun Ida lives a simple and disciplined lifestyle within a convent. The meager plot follows her pilgrimage to meet her only relative before taking her vows. It's the aunt who refused to take her in after Ida's parents passed. They have never met before now.

There doesn't seem to be much to say. In fact what can you say? Ida has taken up a religious calling and her aunt a former judge named Wanda Gruz lives life the way she pleases. Men, alcohol and smoking are all a part of that lifestyle.

Thus, they have little in common until the moment when Gruz discloses the truth to Ida. Her real name is Ida Lebenstein. She is Jewish. Her parents were killed during the War, but the details are not too clear. They can probably guess how it happened.

Ida's whole identity is rocked because she is now a Jew within the convent which seems like a gross incongruity. Ida's resolve is to find her parents' resting place and so the unlikely pair set off looking for answers.

That's about all the film's plot right there and though it does not sound like much it is far more engrossing than a lot of the other fair we come across. There are moments when it feels like we are watching something from Robert Bresson. It's simple. There are not frills but it is chock full of humanity and seemingly real characters with real emotions.

Ida is very rarely in the center of the frame, more often than not her eyes are averted away from the camera. Pawlikowski also has a curious habit of focusing on one character during a scene of dialogue. It seems to denote how isolated and confused many of these characters are. It's one of those films that leaves us with more questions than answers and that is probably a good thing.

4.5/5 Stars

"This Jesus of yours adored people like me" ~ Wanda Gruz

Blue Jasmine (2013)

The emotionally unstable socialite Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) seems to think everyone in the world wants to listen to her talk and reminisce. 

This film shares a resemblance to Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire, and it can be know coincidence because Woody Allen knows his history.  On her part, Blanchett ironically shines as Jasmine, a woman who was married to a swindler (Alec Baldwin), has a nervous breakdown and then finds herself penniless in San Fran on her sister's doorstep (Sally Hawkins). Jasmine is a snobbish jetsetter who had all the possessions that money could buy and a successful hubby. However, pull out the rug from under her and what’s left is a needy hypochondriac plagued by bouts of loneliness.  When she’s not jamming down pills chased by martinis, she’s feeling sorry for herself. She is also often prone to be unstable and throw tantrums. But by the end of this film she is all alone on a bench. No money, no family, not even any love life. Jasmine is a tough case because she is absolutely despicable and on top of that annoying, and yet we still have a small degree of sympathy for her. Allen's film walks the tightrope between comedy and tragedy to great effect. 

4/5 Stars 

Short Term 12 (2013)

This is an extremely powerful film having to do with a short term living home for abandoned and troubled kids. Brie Larson, who is one of my new favorites, gives a wonderful performance that should get her more coverage in the upcoming years. Unfortunately this is a little known gem.

This film had a gritty and realistic aspect that I could relate to, because its director and writer Destin Daniel Cretton hails from San Diego, a place that I have seen quite a bit. Furthermore, he does not shy away from the tough issues, but he also shows  a moving and beautiful flip side to this story. Short Term 12 can be hard to watch at times but it seems that what it really depicts is reality for many young people.

Like The Spectacular Now, this film seems to represent a desire of filmmakers with more humble means to make realistic stories full of hard hitting drama and in many ways truth. In my mind, it was well worth it!

4/5 Stars

Drinking Buddies (2013)

Here is an interesting little film that while not great has a lot of interesting things to say. It is about relationships, friendships, and life in general. It really revolves around two coworkers who work at a brewery together and also are almost constant drinking buddies.

With this territory comes often complicated lines and boundaries because they both are invested in other relationships with a significant other. The buddy status remains only to be taxed as Kate gets dumped by her boyfriend and struggles through her coping process. The one who ultimately gets most deeply affected is Luke. For one he does not want to see his friend this way, but it probably does not help either that he has deep feelings for her, as a buddy or otherwise.

There is an insanely large quantity of beer consumed which is not surprising given the name. However, what I really found interesting about the film was the "buddies" aspect. It looked at relationships and friendship between the opposite genders through a seemingly real and genuine lens. Sometimes it can be difficult, complicated, awkward, and most definitely painful. It is not anything like a movie. I guess that's why I was content that the film did not try to tie itself up in a neat bow.

All the matters is that Kate and Luke are buddies again. Sure, there may be some unresolved stuff for them to work out, but then again aren't our lives always complicated like that? I know mine certainly is and I suppose I wouldn't want it any other way. As long as I have my buddies to go through it along side of me.

3.5/5 Stars

Interstellar (2014)

As has always been his calling card, Christopher Nolan has an eye for grand, expansive, thought provoking experiences wrapped up in cinema. Perhaps his aims are too ambitious at times but you can never accuse him of making an everyday film. He always shoots for the moon (or better yet a worm hole) and so his projects are ultimately better than most even if it misses the target a bit. The reason being Interstellar is still full of enough questions and concepts to leave us thinking for a good long time after we leave the theater.

Although approximately 2 hours and 49 minutes, hardly anyone could call Interstellar too long, because it is more often than not engaging, as we try and decipher where Nolan is going to take us next. His story starts on a world that is certainly earth but strangely dystopian compared to the planet that we know and love. Reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally or something, old folks speak of the way the world was when the dust first hit and the corn crops had to be burned. Not much explanation is given but it is what it is.

This is the climate that the engineer-turned farmer Coop (Matthew McConaughey) has to raise his two kids after his wife passed away. They are good kids for the most part. Murph blames a so-called "ghost" for accidents that happen around the house and her brother teases her some. But they hardly complain about this life they have they; just push forward.

However, their father has always been an explorer at heart, a pilot who never got to truly test the vast seas of space or spread out his wings fully. That changes when he and his daughter come across an old relic from the past. No, it's not a monolith but something far more human. He somewhat reluctantly teams up with his old professor Brandt (Sir Michael Caine) and the professor's daughter Amelia(Anne Hathaway) in a major undertaking.

They want Coop to pilot a mission to a wormhole which is just out of humanity's reach. It was seemingly miraculously gifted to the human race by some unknown third person. This is their chance to A: find a new planet for a mass exodus or B: restart a colony on a far a way destination. The first option is far less grim. Coop takes the mission in the hopes of saving his kids, but he knows the ramifications. Since time is all relative he does not know when he is coming back. He does not even know what he will find or if he will be successful. He heads off as an angry Murph tearfully watches him fall out of her life.

In a match cut of his own, Nolan transports Coop from his truck to the outer reaches of the galaxy. The real adventure has begun. The mission is clear. Save humanity from most certain extinction. It does not make it easier however that messages are constantly being relayed from earth. Coop and his three colleagues set up a plan of action. Their first target is a water covered environment that looks promising. Not so. Next, Coop overrules Brandt and they head to a desolate world that a previous explorer had labeled as inhabitable. To put it bluntly he lied and he was not the only one.

Now Murph is older (Jessica Chastain) and she still has a hard time reconciling the departure of her dad. In an especially impactful scene, a still ageless Coop watches tearfully as his older son's life literally passes before his eyes through the video communications that have been relayed up.

Coop has no way to reply. He can only watch and push forward to try and find a solution. But the answers are few and far between as time continues to move rapidly faster on earth than with the crew of the Endurance. In one final act of selfless valor Coop heads into a black hole and thus begins his own mind blowing leg of his space odyssey. Some connections are made and when all the pieces are put together all that really matters is his inextinguishable love and family. In the end Coop spends a nice moment with his daughter under very different circumstances. Together they saved the human race. Together they survived.

For a film that was made for Physic nerds with talk of black holes, worm holes, relativity, quantum mechanics, Newton's Third Law, gravity and the like, Nolan's conclusion has a universal ring. As Amelia Brand claims, "Love is the one thing that transcends time and space." There are still scientific questions left to be debated for years to come, but we know that love is one thing that is forever true.

There are obviously numerous comparisons that can be made between Interstellar and 2001. I would rather focus on the differences very briefly. In Nolan's film A.I. is actually useful and more reliable and kind than humanity itself. It is man who lies, cheats and reverts to animalistic behavior all in the name of survival. Interstellar has a lot of scientific theory behind it (which I will acknowledge I do not know the ins and outs of), however, it also has a very human component. It is grounded at earth with Coop's kids.

The visuals in Interstellar are often breathtaking but we would probably expect that for such an ambitious space saga. What I really took out of this film was the score and juxtaposition of sound. Hans Zimmer's compositions were full of pounding organs that somehow fit the mood with their majestic and still austere sound. Furthermore, this film had a lot of dialogue and tense moments of noise, however when we are outside the space craft it is almost completely silent reminding us of the reality of space. It is more often than not a vast, silent unknown.

 I am reminded of  when Coop explains to his daughter why she was named after Murphy's Law which seems to be bad. He replies that, "Murphy's law doesn't mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen." And that was good enough for Coop and his late wife. In some ways I think these words can be used to describe Interstellar. With Nolan there is the potential that whatever can happen, will. There is excitement and magic in that, even if it sometimes overshoots its bounds. It's not necessarily a bad thing and that's good enough for me.

4/5 Stars

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~ Dylan Thomas

Gone Girl (2014)

My only advice for Gone Girl is leave all your preconceived notions at the theater entrance, because you are about to be blown out of the water. This is not the movie you were expecting--probably very few people were.

The story is based on the source novel of Gillian Flynn who also happened to be the film’s screenwriter. Behind the camera is mystery-thriller phenom David Fincher (“Se7en”, “Zodiac”) directing his two stars Ben Affleck (“Argo”) and Rosamund Pike (“Pride and Prejudice”).

From the beginning we get a personal view into the married life of Nick and Amy Dunne. Back in 2005 the romance was just beginning to bud, now on their 5th wedding anniversary Amy is gone. Nick is the obvious culprit and we suspect him from the outset of the film, but why would he call in the police to search for his wife? He seems genuinely worried and befuddled by it all.

Soon the police are being taken on a treasure hunt while the whole town becomes frenzied behind the giant media carnival which is having open season on the find Amy campaign. The underlying tension of every present day sequence make for a nerve-wracking procedural juxtaposed with the romantic journal entries of the gone girl. The race to find Amy is on with the days counting down and Nick collaborating with Detective Boney (Kim Dickens).

By this point, it is insanely difficult to catch up with the narrative because just when a conclusion seems certain a new wrinkle is inserted. There are no givens. Is Nick good? Who is Amy really? Who Knows?

Fincher’s film has one last grand ploy. It shows its hand earlier rather than later, feeding its audience one juicy twist. Far from being done it continues to follow the fate of poor Nick and Amazing Amy. Gone Girl grows more and more uncomfortable as the days pass and not for the reason you would suspect. On the surface life seems perfectly normal again to the still clamoring media, but its not the first time that the cameras and reporters fail to see what is really going on.

This is one of the most intense dramas that has come out in years and it in many ways functions as a thriller, black comedy and even a satire of the media. The often grisly depictions of violence make the proceeding moments of laughter all that more uncomfortable. Fincher made thrillers before, but nothing quite like this. It’s fidget-inducing, spine-tingling and utterly perplexing.

4/5 Stars

The LEGO Movie (2014)

Kudos to the minds behind The Lego Movie because it is unlike any animated movie I have seen before and it is due to remixing so to speak. For one thing their story satirizes the ever popular action-adventure trope complete with an evil mastermind who is bent on controlling the world and an every man who ultimately becomes the chosen one to save the...Lego race.

The world they created is filled with annoyingly popular music, a superficial television program, over priced coffee, and of course cities full of Lego people living in Lego places. They've taken the pieces and people that every little boy knows and spliced it into their own little unique universe.

In their world Emmett (Chris Pratt) is a simpleton construction worker who is suspected to be the chosen one by the fugitive master builder Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks). They track down the prophetic Vitruvious (Morgan Freeman) and after gathering support they enact a plan to take down the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell) who wants to subject the world to the Kragle super weapon. I might as well stop the synopsis here because for one I do not want to spoil the film and for another it probably sounds like I am speaking complete gibberish.

That is the beauty of this film because it takes a previous concept like Legos and builds on it. After all that is what you are supposed to do with Legos. Build things! In many ways I could easily see a version of myself making a movie like this when I was younger. In the Lego world everything collides into a wonderfully beautiful collage. You have cities, Cowboys, Pirates, Superheroes, Basketball players and  Star Wars all tossed together in a giant pot. Thus, the Lego movie I would have made would have been a lot different than this one but that is absolutely okay. Legos are meant to stimulate the mind and allow the bricklayer to build and tell any story they want to. The minds behind this film certainly did that to great affect with a story that is clever, witty, and even touching.

Furthermore, it is necessary to give a shout out to the voice actors. The two leads in Christ Pratt and Elizabeth Banks did well with their roles. However, they were also surrounded by the likes of Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Nick Offerman, and Alison Brie. Parks and Rec, Arrested Development, and Community were all represented here.

You cannot leave out cameos by Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, and Shaq. There are undoubtedly others that I left out. Hopefully they forgive me.

By the end of the film you will probably be convinced that everything is AWESOME and each one of us is in fact a chosen one, we just have to truly believe it.

4/5 Stars

Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

Every film franchise needs an installment where the stakes get higher and the outlook gets a lot bleaker, dropping lower into the darkness. Star Wars has Empire Strikes Back, The Hunger Games has Catching Fire and the new Star Trek series has this film. The opening gambit exhibits all the problems that normally arise with the enterprise crew. Kirk acts rashly not following protocol, Spock is far too logical for his own good and the native population sees far more than they should. All in a days work except their exploits get Kirk relieved of his command and Spock transferred. It's not a good situation by any means.

Then out of the woodwork comes John Harrison a former Star Fleet weapons expert who has gone rogue and induced a man to blowup a seemingly insignificance archives building, but its all a ploy to get at the command. The aftermath leaves Kirk's mentor dead and Kirk himself reinstated bent on revenge. The Enterprise heads after Harrison who fled to Kronos, part of the airspace of the dreaded Klingon. In a heated confrontation the unstoppable fugitive mows down the Klingons and allows himself to be taken in, but obviously something is not right.

Now Admiral Marcus is on their tale bent on finishing off Harrison and doing it by any means necessary even going so far as shooting down the Enterprise. The balance of right and wrong is completely off kilter by now. Once again Kirk chooses to ally with Harrison to take down Marcus, a risky proposition to be sure. Little does he know who Harrison actually is and what his mission entails. Ultimately Kirk is left with a few options with a ship without little power and a crew that are sitting ducks. In a fitting role reversal he does the only logical thing he can and Spock takes over the bridge using Kirkian-like tactics. But the mission is far from over with danger still afoot. It takes a little ingenuity from all hands on deck including Spock, Uhura and Dr. McCoy. They cannot be expected to stop there however because there true mission is to go where no man has gone before. Gear up for another 5 years in space or possibly 5 years until the next movie.

I must admit I am not a true Trekkie but I did appreciate a few of the nods in this film including the appearance of Leonard Nimoy and the resurfacing of Khan. Now I really want to go back and see the classic Wrath of Khan too. However, I found this film to have nice pacing some good a bout-faces and a generally good story line. There are times when I get sick of the drama and picture perfect special effects but Star Trek Into Darkness is undoubtedly good blockbuster fodder. For Trekkies it certainly is worth it and the cast is endearing. I must say I miss Deforrest Kelly especially though. Bones is just too overdramatic in this film for his own good. But what do I know. Since villains are always so important Benedict Cumberbatch did a wonderful job raising the stakes by playing the audience beautifully. Well done.

4/5 Stars

The Kid with a Bike (2011)

To say this is a affecting film would be an understatement because if you want to be honest it is truly heart wrenching and painful to watch. From the beginning moments this film brought to mind a modern day hybrid of The 400 Blows with a bit of The Bicycle Thief mixed in. However, comparisons are always unfair because this film will never be either of those and that is fine.

Cyril (Thomas Doret) is a young red-headed boy whose most prize possession is his bicycle. Now his mother is non-existent (either dead or gone) and his father might as well be. The boy lives at a foster home but he is an unruly occupant who is prone to flee. The reason being is that Cyril clings to the hope that his father will come and get him or that his father will call him soon. It never happens.

On one such escape attempt, Cyril clings to a lady hairdresser (Cecile de France)  as his caretakers pry him away. Soon she comes to see him and brings his prized bike which had been stolen. Next she graciously agrees to take him for the weekends after he asks her. However, he is far from a perfect child, often detached, prone to disobey and can even be violent at times. Things get worse when Cyril goes with Samantha to talk to his father. It's a happy moment for Cyril until his father reluctantly tells him to his face that he will not take him back. He had initially asked Samantha to do it showing his lack of a spine and self-respect. You cannot much blame Cyril but he gets worse before he gets better. He spends time with a local thug who ingratiates himself to Cyril with bike repairs, Assassins Creed and soda. The motive being he needs a new accomplice to take part in a small time robbery. The worst part is Cyril does it after Samantha specifically tells him not to hang out with the thug. 

Without getting into all the gory details Cyril runs into more problems, Samantha gives up her boyfriend and there are more repercussions for his actions. However, unlike The 400 Blows this film ends on perhaps a more positive, although altogether odd, note. We can only hope that Cyril and Samantha gel even more because they deserve to be happy, but that is a story for another film. Or maybe it is better not knowing.

I had yet to see anything from the Dardenne brothers but I can see why their type of film-making is so popular. It's European film at its best with simple story lines, realistic and humble camerawork that is brought to life by complex characters and drama. There is a lot of raw emotion and character traits that must be parsed through. Motives and actions must always be questioned because we cannot understand everything we just know they happen. That is a beautiful thing I suppose because these characters are not often two dimensional and that is a service to the audience. These are the type of films people deserve to watch whether they know it or not, because if all we see are summer blockbusters and Oscar contenders we would be missing out on a whole different niche of film entirely. Give it a chance and just maybe you'll like it. 

4.5/5 Stars

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

My first thought about this film without any prior knowledge was, "How can they have a superhero movie with a talking raccoon and a walking tree? That's so stupid!" Well, they proved me wrong or maybe they proved me right in a sense.

Guardians of the Galaxy is stupid in numerous ways yes, but it's the kind of dopiness that is fun, endearing and often hilarious. It succumbs to some of the normal superhero/blockbuster cliches, but it also finds time to make fun of itself and it benefits from that. It does not take itself too seriously and it begins with Chris Pratt aka Peter Quill aka Star Lord (not Andy Dwyer for all those Parks and Rec fans). He is an unlikely superhero, even the actor himself, and so it makes his character work all the better for this film.

After a childhood tragedy Peter is abducted by a group of Ravagers and thus begins his life in the far reaches of the galaxy retrieving artifacts for his employers by any means possible. He comes across a highly sought after orb and he himself has a price on his head. That's how he crosses paths with deadly female assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and bounty hunting partners Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). Gamora was sent by a power hungry villain bent on revenge. Rocket is a highly intelligent raccoon with an attitude and Groot is a walking tree of few words who teams with him. They all end up in prison and it is there where they finally begin to gel as unlikely as it sounds.

The crew is joined  by fellow inmate Drax and they head out to deliver the mysterious orb to their contact. However, it falls into the hands of the enemy and the gang must now protect Xandar from destruction. We have seen it all before, an epic space battle with ships zooming by, pyrotechnics everywhere and unexpected twists and turns. It is moments like these where it seems Guardians falls into the usual mold of explosions, image overload and corny drama. 

Quickly it find itself again with Peter being goofy (ie. a dance off) or Rocket giving us one of his many wry comments in an extra epic moment (Well now I'm standing. Happy? We're all standing now). It is these sorts of moments that make this film. Groot only knows three words, "I am Groot," and yet Rocket has spent so much time with him that he understands every iteration. That's how a summer blockbuster about a talking raccoon and a walking tree ends up working. It sidesteps some of the usual tropes and when it does fall into one it willfully makes light of itself. We can forgive and forget, because these "lovable misfits" are a barrel of laughs and they have a heart. It does not hurt that this film has an awesome mix for a soundtrack. At times I was not sure if I was watching a space opera or a rock opera, the music was so often the highlight. Then, when Ain't No Mountain High Enough started playing I was sold. 

3.5/5 Stars