Cookie Clip of the Week: The Shining (1980)

Halloween is just a few days away and there's nothing better than watching horror movies to get yourself in the Halloween spirit. I watched The Shining when I was 12 and I couldn't sleep for about a week. From Nicholson bouncing a tennis ball off the wall, to blood pouring out of the elevator, to the naked hot lady who turns into a dead zombie chick, The Shining is a true masterpiece of horror. Kubrick knows how to make 'em folks...

Like Crazy Review (2011)

Director: Drake Doremus

Writer: Drake Doremus

Genre: Romance/Drama

3 cookies

Glass of milk - Felicity Jones

There is an American guy and a British girl. They meet at college in Los Angeles. They fall in love (“we’re both young, hot, and hip. Yay!”). Dilemma: British girl has to go back to England because her visa expires, but she violates her visa and stays in Los Angeles because she’s so hopelessly in love with American guy. When British girl finally goes back to England, she is not allowed back into the U.S. because of her previous visa violation and thus American guy and British girl must face the challenges and pain of a long distance relationship.

The American guy is named Jacob, and is played excellently by Anton Yelchin, who you know from such masterworks (not) as Fright Night, Terminator Salvation, and Star Trek.  This is, by far, Yelchin’s best role yet. Anna, the British girl, is played by Felicity Jones, who you don’t know unless you’re a British television fan. Jones steals the movie. It’s impossible to take your eyes off her, as she demands your attention with a distinct screen presence that radiates in every scene. With the arrival of Elizabeth Olsen in the newly released Martha Marcy May Marlene and Felicity Jones in Like Crazy, it’s been an amazing couple of weeks in terms of talented young actresses emerging in their first starring roles. Like Crazy works because of the exceptional performances by Yelchin and Jones – they make the audience feel their joy during happy times, and feel their pain during the not-so-happy times (which there are a lot of).

The talented director Drake Doremus employs a very unique filmmaking style, where nearly all the dialogue in the movie is improvised by the actors, based off outlines written by Doremus.  When filming, Doremus would let scenes play out for as long as 15 minutes just letting the actors riff off each other, which helps gives the film a very unique feel. The improvisation plus the decision to shoot the film hand held, is no doubt an attempt by Doremus to give the film a strong sense of realism, though the hand held camera work feels gimmicky at times. I love “indie-style” cinematography more than anyone, but I felt like Doremus was trying too hard at times when he should have just been using a tripod.

I had super high expectations for this film. The buzz from Sundance was incredible (it won the Grand Jury prize), I thought the film’s trailer was one of the best trailers of the year, and I generally love indie romance movies. Some of my favorite films of all time are Garden State, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 500 Days of Summer, and Lost in Translation and I was expecting, perhaps unfairly, that Like Crazy would place itself in the ranks of films like those. Unfortunately, while it’s a very good movie, it doesn’t even come close to touching the classics of the “indie-romance” genre.

The main thing that keeps Like Crazy out of the great category is that the male protagonist, Jacob, is basically a jerk. It’s hard to root for a guy that doesn’t make any sacrifices for his relationship with Anna to work and completely manipulates another female character (Jennifer Lawrence), who utterly loves him, only to abandon her multiple times.  Also, without giving too much away, there are certain things about Jacob and Anna’s relationship that just don’t really make sense as the film progresses.

This movie has all the ingredients of a great love story but the final dish only comes out partially cooked. Still, the acting is amazing and you will feel real emotions during Like Crazy’s 90 minute duration. I loved the semi-ambiguous ending that leaves room for interpretation but still feels like the completion of the story, unlike the ending to Martha Marcy May Marlene. The “shower-scene” finale has no dialogue, yet somehow it says so much. The movie raises deep questions about the existence of love and the validity of the theory that every person has one true soul mate.

I think Like Crazy is definitely a movie worth seeing it just didn’t live up to my Mount Everest of self-imposed hype. If you’re feeling depressed about long distance relationships after seeing Like Crazy, which you probably will be, you should check out last year’s very underrated box office failure Going the Distance. This movie, starring Justin Long and Drew Barrymore, provides a much lighter take on the challenges of a long distance relationship, while still remaining truthful.

Cookie Clip of the Week: Zombieland (2009)

I love zombies. If you don't love zombies, then we probably aren't friends. It's a great time to be a zombie lover as The Walking Dead is back for season 2 on AMC and with Halloween approaching, zombie movies, as well as other horror movies, take center stage. When you mix zombies and Jesse Eisenberg you get one of the best zombie movies of all time...

The Green Review (2011)

Director: Steven Williford

Writer: Paul Marcarelli

Genre: Drama

2.5 Cookies

The Green is probably a movie you will never see. After playing at a large number of film festivals in 2011, the producers have decided to forgo a theatrical release and release it straight to Video on Demand, as well as other forums for home movie watching.  In fact, I hadn’t even ever heard of this movie before seeing it at the weekly independent film series that I attend (New York Film Critics Host Coming Attractions). It also has a terribly awful, ambiguous title, that is way too hard to find; when I searched “The Green” on IMBD, multiple movies came up before the one I was looking for, including The Green Lantern, The Green Mile, The Green Hornet, and Fried Green Tomatoes.

The subject matter of The Green is a tough sell in and of itself as the story centers around a gay relationship, with its focus on a gay man, which is difficult to market unless you get to have Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger on the poster. Starring the mostly unknown Jason Butler Harner and Cheyenne Jackson, The Green does not have the star power to make a movie about a gay man appeal to mainstream audiences, which is a shame because this is actually a surprisingly good movie with an important message.

Jason Butler Harner plays Michael, a teacher at a suburban Connecticut private school, who recently moved with his partner Daniel (Jackson) from New York City because Michael “wanted to see green,” (you guessed it, that’s why it’s called The Green). When we meet Michael he has already developed a close, but not inappropriate, relationship with a student named Jason, who is having a tough time at school due to bullying and a difficult home life. One night, after a school function, Michael sees Jason being bullied in a hallway and when Michael goes to help Jason, Jason’s mother’s homophobic boyfriend misconstrues Michael’s gesture of help for sexually inappropriate conduct. Everything spins out of control very quickly and it’s not long before Michael is forced to leave his job, has his house searched by police, and loses his reputation in town.

Eventually Michael hires a lawyer, who happens to be a lesbian to take on his case. Julia Ormond plays the lawyer and I think she gives the weakest performance in the film. Michael’s relationships with Daniel and other friends are endangered and an event from Michael’s past comes back to haunt him. The story is engaging throughout and there is a surprisingly intense climactic scene that I did not see coming at all.

First time director Steven Williford gets good performances from most of his cast, especially the leads, as Butler Harner and Jackson are terrific in their roles. Williford, who happens to be gay, also does a great job making the story feel universal, so that everyone can relate to Michael’s struggles, not only a gay audience. The film makes you think about certain prejudices you might have, and whether or not our society is where it should be in terms of gay acceptance. We are far from it, in my opinion, and I think in the opinion of the filmmakers as well. Even using the words “gay acceptance” is degrading, as a scene in the movie points out, because a gay couple shouldn’t have to be merely accepted or tolerated, they should be looked upon like any other couple.

It is evident that Williford is a first time director though, as certain scenes and shots in the film aren’t as strong as they could be. Certain moments are overdramatized when they should be downplayed, and moments that should be downplayed are overblown. For the most part Williford does a good job playing with the tone of the film, but there are moments when the tone and mood shifts unexpectedly when it shouldn’t. Particularly, a storm scene near the end, where Michael is forced to confront his fear of heights to fix a leaking roof feels melodramatic and cheesy.

The screenplay was written by Paul Marcarelli, who is famous for being the Verizon, “Can you hear me now?” guy. It’s a good script, with decently drawn characters, and while certain characters fall victim to cliché and stereotype, especially the homophobic antagonist of the film, for the most part it’s strong. And Williford does a pretty good job of taking Marcarelli’s words and putting them on screen.

It’s too bad more people won’t see The Green because it’s a good, albeit not great film, that could possibly teach people a thing or two about homophobia in modern America. The 90-minute film is entertaining, for the most part, and I think most people would be pleasantly surprised upon watching it. Now, I don’t know if I’ll remember anything about this film a month from now, but it’s certainly better than many of the movies that are released nationwide and gross millions of dollars (I’m looking at you Johnny English Reborn and The Three Musketeers, which both come out Friday and will no doubt be dreadful). 

The Ides of March Review (2011)

Director: George Clooney
Writers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, & Beau Willimon
Genre: Political thriller/Drama


3.5 cookies
Glass of milk - The cast (specifically, Ryan Gosling)

Politics. Politics. Politics. You got to love politics. And when a story about politics is told with the craft and precision that George Clooney brings to the table, in his fourth film as a director, the result is a tightly packed, crisply plotted thriller of a film. While it never necessarily reaches the soaring heights of importance it could have, it is still tremendously entertaining, and one of the best and  best-acted films of the year.

Before I get to the plot, let me just say that The Ides of March is essentially an acting all star game. In the NBA, you have Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Nowitzki, and Durant. In The Ides of March, the starting lineup is Gosling, Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giametti, and Marissa Tomei, with Evan Rachel Wood and Jeffrey Wright coming off the bench. The cast is so good in this movie that it even gets distracting at points – it’s almost like each actor wants to hit the game winning shot.

In the end, while all the actors involved score in double digits, it’s Gosling who hits the buzzer beater. Already establishing 2011 as the best year of his career in the fantastic Crazy Stupid Love, and the gritty Drive, Gosling continues his winning streak, and cool streak, as the young, assistant  presidential campaign manager Stephen Myers.

The story tips off as Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) is in a fierce political battle to win the Ohio Democratic primary as it could be the key for him to get the Democratic nomination for President. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays his campaign manager, and Gosling plays Hoffman’s assistant, who firmly believes that Morris could actually bring positive change to America if elected President. But soon, things start to slip out of control as betrayal, sex, and corruption enter into the fray. The film is essentially a morality tale about how far people will go to get what they want, and that even the best of us can be corrupted. Gosling’s character is at the center of it all.

The liberal Clooney provides us with a darkly cynical view of America’s politics – it’ll be interesting to see how much he’s involved with campaigning during the 2012 election. If you want to feel good about the people running our country, this is not the movie for you. If you’re interested in the art of lying, The Ides of March is essentially a study on the subject.

The twists and turns are unpredictable and come quickly once the story gets going – you never know exactly who to root for because just when you think one thing, something will happen to make you think differently. There are no heroes in this movie, after all it’s about politics.

Now, this isn’t the masterpiece it may look like on the surface. With a lesser cast and a director not as skilled as Clooney, Ides could have easily come off as a schlocky political melodrama. Fortunately, the cast is stellar and Clooney is a solid filmmaker, so the movie works if you go in expecting an  intelligent and entertaining 100 minutes, that could spur a good conversation about American politics.

It’s fun, it’s smart, it’s satisfying – your money will be well spent. 

Martha Marcy May Marlene Review (2011)

Director: Sean Durkin

Writer: Sean Durkin

Genre: Thriller/Drama

3.5 cookies

Glass of milk - Elizabeth Olsen

I have the privilege of being able to attend an eight-week film series this fall, where I will see a new movie each week, before it is released in theaters. Plus, at the screenings, there is often a Q & A session after the film, with someone involved with the movie such as a director, writer, actor, etc. If anyone is interested, the series is called New York Film Critics Host Coming Attractions. For the first week of this film series I saw the remarkable Sundance Film Festival hit Martha Marcy May Marlene. The guests at the screening were director Sean Durkin, and actors Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes.

            You may not have heard about this movie yet, but oh you will. Opening in New York and Los Angeles on October 21, before it expands to a nationwide release, Martha Marcy May Marlene (say that three times fast) has already taken the indie film world by storm, and is set to wreck havoc on audiences across the country.

            Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley, plays Martha, in the kind of role that creates a star. Before long, Elizabeth Olsen will be the Olsen sister, as she gives a transcendent performance worthy of all the hype it's been getting, and should receive an Oscar nomination from the Academy.  Talk about a breakout role; this role will do double for Olsen what Juno did for Ellen Page.

            The story begins with Martha escaping, one morning, from an abusive cult in upstate New York to live with her estranged sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), and her sister’s new husband, Ted (Hugh Dancy). As Martha attempts to re-assimilate to normal life, after two years in the cult, she is increasingly haunted by disturbing memories and behaves in strange and inappropriate ways. The film flashes back and forth between Martha’s time in the cult and the time after her escape, while the two timelines often merge together, creating a sense of paranoia and insanity, on the part of Martha.

            The film’s quadruple M title comes from the name Martha is given when she joins the cult, which is Marcy May. The fourth M, Marlene, is another name that all female members of the cult must use when dealing with the outside world. The man responsible for bestowing the ‘Marcy May’ title upon Martha is the cult’s eerily creepy and sinister, yet somehow inviting leader, Patrick. The great character actor, John Hawkes, who was nominated for an Oscar for last year’s Winter’s Bone gives a chilling performance as the demented cult leader. In one scene, he serenades the cult with a song called “Marcy’s Song,” and Durkin allows Hawkes to play the whole song through on his accoustic guitar, which gives the audience a perfect sense of what this character is like, and what Marcy means to him; Hawkes nails this scene.

            As Martha begins to act more and more strangely at home with her sister and brother-in-law, the flashbacks become increasingly disturbing, as we witness sexual and violent acts that Martha was forced to experience during her time in the cult. This is certainly not an easy film to watch, and you may find it necessary to turn your head from the screen at certain points. Don’t go to Martha expecting to walk out feeling like rainbows and lollipops; if a color could describe a movie, Martha would be black.

            That being said, I loved about ninety percent of this movie. Durkin has crafted a brilliant thriller that gets under your skin, and makes you watch actively – meaning, you have to do some thinking during this movie. There are even certain scenes that almost reach masterpiece quality. That’s why the ending is so frustrating.

(Spoiler Alert, kind of)

            There will be much discussed about the ending to Martha, and I don’t want to give too much away, but remember the ending to The Sopranos? The packed theater I was in gave a collective “Ahhhh!!!” as the screen went dark and I don’t think this “Ah,” was a good thing. I didn’t get why the movie had to end the way it did right after I saw it, and I still don’t get it why it ended the way it did, as I write this review three days later. An ending can either completely kill a movie or completely make it – in the case of Martha, the ending definitely didn’t help.

            After the Q & A session, I had the chance to go up to Durkin and I asked him why he chose the ending. His only response was, “Whatever questions the audience have, Martha has as well.” Maybe I’m just not smart enough, but I still don’t get the ending. It felt like a cop out.

            Regardless, Marthy Marcy May Marlene is a truly amazing movie and one that I highly recommend. And judge the ending for yourself – maybe I’m just stupid – I don’t think so though.

            Also, being able to meet the director, as well as Elizabeth Olsen (who’s only 22!) and John Hawkes was awesome. They were all really friendly and cool. In real life, Hawkes is not like his character at all, and Olsen is certainly no Martha, Marcy May, or Marlene.