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Gavin Grades The Movies


The Big Year

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
If you were to ask most comedians who their favorite comedians are, I would guess that Steve Martin would show up in the Top 10 for most of them.  There's no argument over his influence and skills.  But for some reason, he chooses horrible movies to do...at least in the last couple decades.  It doesn't make sense why the man that brought us The Jerk, The Three Amigos, Planes, Trains & Automobiles and Parenthood has also brough us Cheaper By the Dozen 1 and 2, Bringing Down the House, and The Pink Panther remakes.  Now he has The Big Year.  So which pile will this be thrown on?  Can it be on both?  The Big Year has a great premise: it's a pseudo true story about a real event called The Big Year which is competitive bird watching.  Yeah.  Competitive.  Besides Martin, it also stars Owen Wilson and Jack Black...two actors that were also really funny once upon a time and have perhaps run their course.  A film in the vein of Christopher Guest's classic Best in Show would have been amazing!  A comedy lampooning the existence and the people that participate in a bird watching competition sounds awesome!  Quickly it becomes apparent that that is not the direction they took.  I probably should have seen that coming since it was directed by David Frankel, who did Marley & Me and The Devil Wears Prada.  He's very good at giving us comedies  that teeter back and forth between very funny and emotionally appealing.  The Big Year tries as hard as it can to be more like those films but sadly never does.  See, when you enter into a Big Year, you are away from your family, your job, your life for a whole year.  You miss out on an awful lot and the movie partially focuses on that.  It also focuses on the beauty of nature and the birds themselves.  If you're saying so far all that doesn't sound very funny...you're right.  The movie isn't very funny; but that doesn't mean it's not good.  But it doesn't do a quality job at pulling you in any particular direction or making you feel a certain way.  It just kind of exists.  The characters don't make you feel for them completely or even pick a favorite in the contest.  There are moments of great filmmaking but not enough to love the movie. The good news is that none of these usually annoying comedic actors are annoying in the film.  They don't branch out into new territory or take any risks with character choices but you get what you'd expect minus some fark and dick jokes from Jack Black.  In fact, he gives one of the better performances in the movie since the relationship with his dad, played by Brian Dennehy (Romeo + Juliet) is some of the near tear-jerking you expierence in the film.  But overall to use the word "big" in the title of this film is false advertising. The Big Year  (Rated PG) Gavin Grade: C
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50/50

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
I sat at the screening for this movie next to friends of mine from Fox 40.  At one point, I was nudged in the side by one of their elbows.  I looked next to me and saw that I was being handed a tissue.  I had no idea but I was crying so hard during 50/50 that I was sobbing, snorting and sniveling.  Embarrassed, I took the tissue to wipe my face clean, although one minute later I was laughing my ass off and didn't need the tissue anymore. 50/50 is the work of director Jonathan Levine (HBO's How to Succeed in America) and writer Will Reiser (HBO's Da Ali G Show).  It's a semi-biographical script based on Reiser's actual battle with spinal cancer and how his best friend, Seth Rogen, helped him through it.  Seth Rogen stars alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Reiser's character and the two of them create one of the most emotional testaments to friendship that I've seen in over a decade. This is not your typical Seth Rogen movie.  Yes, there is pot smoking.  Yes, there is crude language.  Yes, they try to get laid.  But what sets this apart is that there is also a soul to this movie that is deeper and more revealing than any comedy that's come out in years.  That's not to say that if you're a fan of Knocked Up or Superbad you'll be bored by this.  Rogen still delivers the top shelf funny that we've come to expect from him in every nuanced cadence of his style. It's possible that I'm a little biased, since a friend of mine went through cancer when we were 19-years-old and some of the scenes in 50/50 hit a little too close to home.  But as painful and gut-wrenching as some of the scenes can get, there are scenes that celebrate life and make you split your sides from laughing right around the corner.  I can't remember a movie in recent memory that made me laugh just as hard as it made me cry.  It's a true accomplishment of the Dramedy genre. Reiser created a script that doesn't dwell in either one of the emotions long enough to bum you out or no longer realize how serious the subject matter is.  It's a true masterpiece of writing.  It's also helped along by a fantastic supporting cast that consists of Anna Kendrick (the Twilight Series, Up in the Air), Bryce Dallas Howard (the Twilight series, The Help), and Anjelica Huston (The Royal Tenebaums, Choke). It's rare that a movie can make me cry thinking about it days after I've seen it; 50/50 is one of them though.  That's not a spoiler, so don't worry.  Although this film has some very heartbreaking moments, it's really a celebration of life.  It's a film about cancer that doesn't spend its full 100 minutes making you feel like you're dying too.  It's a rally cry for anyone who feels like cashing in their chips to instead stand up, go outside and embrace friendship, family and love. It's also a film that SCREAMS for the Academy to take notice.  I think 50/50 is good enough to be nominated for Best Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor.  I encourage you to go see it, no matter if you've enjoyed a Seth Rogen film in the past or not, because 50/50 is therapeutic in its execution and cathartic in its viewing.  I plan on seeing it again as soon as I can and this time I'll bring my own tissues. 50/50  (Rated R) Gavin Grade: A+
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Moneyball

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
Brad Pitt has made some great movies over the years.  Se7en.  Fight Club.  Inglorious Basterds.  Snatch. He's delivered a top shelf performance in everything he's ever done and seems to almost relish in the fact that he's so good looking yet insists on playing roles covered in grime, blood or sleaze for the most part.  Moneyball is a new sort of role for him.  The true story of Billy Beane, the man who changed the game of baseball by recruiting based on stats and not money, might be the role that finally gets him an Oscar. Director Bennett Miller (Capote) created a character piece out of a baseball story and not the other way around.  Refreshing for those of us who don't care for baseball at all.  I personally find the sport boring and plodding, but Moneyball rarely is.  It gets a tad bogged down in details that most people don't understand at times but you're willing to overlook it because of the performance that Pitt gives in each scene. The film is scripted by Aaron Sorkin who just won and Oscar for The Social Network and was the creator of The West Wing.  I expected the enthusiastic pop and crackle of a classic Sorkin script that chews through dialogue like a rabid dog attack.  Sadly, I got a more run-of-the-mill Hollywood script that seems watered down and more realistic, which is less effective as a form of entertainment. Joining Pitt in the film is Jonah Hill (Superbad, Get Him to the Greek) who proves that he can do serious and sedated.  We also have minor roles from Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote, Doubt), Robin Wright Penn (Princess Bride, Forrest Gump) and Chris Pratt (NBC's Parks and Rec, Take Me Home Tonight).  All of these performers are incredibly underutilized and not allowed to spread their wings as they all have in the past.  Of course, some may look at that as a noble characteristic of the film and Miller as a director; that he was able to have this great cast but sparingly use them only as padding for a film that is undeniably Pitt's. Although this will be viewed as a Sports Movie by most, I'm not entirely sold on the fact that it is.  No more than Rocky or Field of Dreams.  The most touching scenes in the movie are between Pitt and his daughter in performances that feel like they were improvised or a candid conversation between a father and his actual daughter.  Beane isn't portrayed a rational or a compromising man, but he's still very likable and noble.  You find yourself routing him on when he's taking away power from Hoffman's head coach character or belittling Recruiting veterans.  You want him to succeed in the worst way and you're not really sure why.  That's one of the great aspects about Moneyball.  It's complex and wonderful and about baseball, which hasn't had a quality film made about it decades. Brad Pitt has done lots of great performances in his career that I think he should have won an Oscar for.  Is Moneyball better than those movies?  No.  But if he wins an Oscar for it, I'll be very pleased since it's a home run! Moneyball (Rated PG-13) Gavin Grade: A-
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Our Idiot Brother

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
Paul Rudd is usually a safe bet for a great film.  There aren't too many he's done in his life that didn't turn out good, if not great.  Then you have him star with comedic staples like Elizabeth Banks (40-Year-Old Virgin, Role Models), Zooey Deschnael (Your Highness, (500) Days of Summer), Rashida Jones (I Love You, Man, NBC's The Office) and Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder, Hamlet 2) and it should be a comedic slam dunk, right?  Well, Our Idiot Brother wasn't because it wasn't a comedy. Director Jesse Peretz (The Ex) assembled an impressive indie comedy cast only to pull out a dramedy.  The story centers around three sisters dealing with their brother after he's released from prison.  Their brother, Rudd, isn't really a criminal...he's just an idiot.  He was thrown in jail for selling weed to a uniformed cop.  That's how the movie starts.  Not only is Rudd's character an idiot, but he's one of the most likable and lovable characters of the year.  He means no harm in everything he does, yet harm is what seems to be left in his wake.  His family's life gets turned upside-down by his arrival but it's through this that self reflection follows. Rudd is at the top of his game.  He's fantastic.  Really everyone is.  The enemy of success for this is a mix of poor direction and a lackluster script from a first time writing team that half of which was made up of Peretz's wife.  The entire film is executed with an energy that seemed like everyone smoked weed during the whole production because it lacks energy completely. Another turn off for the film was that it's about two cultures of people that I personally get annoyed with quickly - hippies and hipsters.  Rudd is a hippie from Long Island but their sisters' worlds exist as busy, artie hipsters living in Brooklyn.  Worlds collide?  I guess so but with annoying meets awful, you end up with awfully annoying.  It limits the likable characters to just Rudd's and that's a problem when you're suppose to like everyone else as well.  So unless you have stellar jokes to carry you through the entire film, which Our Idiot Brother doesn't have, you're left with a plodding dramedy about mostly selfish, whiny, crap characters. Our Idiot Brother is worth seeing but merely as a rental.  Maybe it would have been better if there was a little bit more idiot in it instead of the idiot turning out to be the only character that is worthy of an audience's adoration. Our Idiot Brother  (Rated R) Gavin Grade: B-
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Crazy Stupid Love

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
Whenever someone tells me that Steve Carrell is going to star in another movie I have to ask whether it's going to be a comedy or a drama.  The guy has turned out fantastic comedic performances like he did on NBC's The Office or Anchorman or The 40-Year-Old Virgin.  But he's capable of far more than a clown and he's shown that in movies like Little Miss Sunshine and Dan in Real Life and...well, NBC's The Office.  He's one of the few actors out there right now that can make you laugh one second and cry the next and, if you're lucky, do both, all in the same scene. In Crazy Stupid Love he's supported by an utterly stellar cast that includes Ryan Gosling (The Notebook, Blue Valentine), Julianne Moore (The Big Lebowski, The Kids Are Alright), Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinnie, The Wrestler) and Emma Stone (Zombieland, Easy A).  Everyone has impressed me in films prior to this one, but I can't help but to think that it was somehow Carrell that inspired everyone in this to meet the bar he set. The movie is one you've seen before.  It's about a middle-aged couple going through a divorce and how the man, who lost his zest for life and romance, gets it back after meeting a sexy suave stranger.  The premise is nothing new...little coming out of Hollywood is anymore; but that doesn't mean that it's not entertaining and touching.  It manages to maintain a tone through the whole film that's very refreshing.  There are some scenes that are extremely funny and a blast to watch, but if the movie got too sad and dark it would have put a damper on the comedy.  However it still has those scenes that might make you wipe a tear or two away since it's well-written enough that you care deeply for some of the characters. What makes it even more fun is that there are twists in the story that throw you curve balls and make sure you're not losing interest.  Even as predictable and cheesy as some scenes (especially the ending) can get, it's those shockers that really kept my eyes from rolling.  One particular twist is rather obvious, or at least was to me, if you're simply paying attention to some of the casting choices but that's all I'll say about that. Crazy Stupid Love isn't breaking any new ground and for that it gets docked a point.  However it's one of those movies that seems to come along rather often that is a universal crowd pleaser on almost all levels.  It doesn't get graphic.  It stays very sweet.  It has the perfect amount of ha-has.  It makes sure you don't leave unhappy.  It speaks to everyone on some level or another, even if it really doesn't have anything itself to say. Crazy Stupid Love (Rated PG-13) Gavin Grade: A-
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Everything Must Go

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
When I went to see this movie on a Saturday night, there were 8 other people in the theater besides me and my wife.  The other people were mostly made up of folks who were big fans of other Will Ferrel movies like Anchorman or The Other Guys.  You could just tell that they bought a ticket for Everything Must Go simply because they thought it was the latest Will Ferrel comedy about...well, who cares it's got Will Ferrel in it!  A more fitting title might have been Everyone Must Go because by the end of the movie, the theater crowd had been whittled down to four besides me and my wife, as they each got up in disappointed huffs and left the theater. Everything Must Go is a dramedy based on the short story by acclaimed American writer Raymond Carver.  My wife had read the short story Why Don't You Dance, for which it's based on, but said it's vastly over-bloated from that; as is the case when a short story is turned into a feature film.  The movie has no big stars in it besides Ferrel but you may recognize small parts played by Stephen Root (Office Space, No Country for Old Men), Laura Dern (Jurassic Park), Michael Pena (Crash) or Glenn Howerton (FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia).  Again though, all these parts are very small and this movie is owned by Ferrel. This is a tricky film to discuss because it has a lot to say and comes across as a very important character study.  The problem is that it's just freaking depressing!  It's essentially a 92 minute movie about an alcoholic slowly hitting his bottom over the course of a few days.  Sure there is a positive catharsis about it in that when his wife kicks him out of the house and throws all his stuff out on the lawn, he starts to sell it all and it's a physical manifestation of him shedding his old self.  The symbolism didn't get past me, which is a relief because it's really overt.  It's just uncomfortable to watch since it's so not funny and so not super sad, so it just leaves you in this emotional purgatory suspended in between the two. It also doesn't help that you don't feel bad for Ferrel's character.  You can watch it and muster sympathy that everything in his life comes crashing down in just a couple days but all the other characters in the film feel no sympathy for him since they think he's an assh*le.  And since they've known his character longer than you have, there's no other choice than to accept it.  The only person in the film that met him in the same amount of time as the audience is a young teenager that lives down the street, who's played wonderfully and subtly by Christopher Jordan Wallace, who's never been in anything before but is the son of Notorious B.I.G.! It's really not that Everything Must Go is a bad movie.  It's simple and tear-jerking at the end.  It offers a redemptive tone about not giving up, never looking back, changing your life and picking yourself up off the floor.  The problem is that it's not funny enough to be worth watching for that and the main character is too unlikable to champion.  It's more just like a snapshot of a few horrible, terrible days that leads to a jerk changing his life...but who wants to watch that? Everything Must Go (Rated R) Gavin Grade: C
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Win Win

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
Paul Giamatti has the face of a basset hound. His eyes match the droopiness in his cheeks, his hair is falling out, his belly extends and if you didn't know he was a successful and gifted actor, you'd think he was just another guy that life kicked around. So if I were to tell you that he was the star of, possibly, THE feel-good movie of 2011, it would be pretty hard to swallow...but it's true. Win Win is a story of a desperate family sap who finds a way to con an old man, who's played by the wonderful and actually still living Burt Young (the Rocky series, HBO's The Sopranos), but it backfires when he has to take care of his grandson, who's played by a kid named Alex Shaffer in a spectacular film debut. Giamatti's wife is the wonderful Amy Ryan (NBC's The Office, Gone Baby Gone) and rounds out an absolutely perfect cast. Every moment of this movie builds to something better and, although it's predictable in its formula, is an incredibly heartwarming story. Writer/Director Thomas McCarthy is also an actor. You'd recognize him in movies like 2012, the Meet the Parents series and Michael Clayton. He uses his experience as an actor to really get genuine performances out of his cast. Every word that they utter drips with sincerity and soul. This isn't a sappy melodrama though. This is a rare and wonderful thing...a dramedy that is perfectly done. I've often said that it's very hard to pull off something that is a fantastic drama and a hilarious comedy at the same time. Most films find that by attempting to do both, they fail to excel at them too. Win Win is a shining example of how it's suppose to be accomplished. The supporting characters played Jeffry Tambor (The Hangover, Paul) and Bobby Cannavale (FX's Louie, The Other Guys) are not just fluff. They each add some of the best humor to the film but each pump a little drama in as well. They're not two dimensional characters that are only there to make a joke and leave; they have drama and sadness in their lives as well which they need to express and solve. Win Win dives into some heavy topics. Giamatti's character is rather unlikable when we first meet him because of what he does to this old man. The situation for him and his family seems to get worse and then better and then really bad until they build to a point where a Win Win ending seems impossible. Not only is it accomplished, but so is making it funny all the way through as well. Win Win (Rated R) Gavin Grade: A+
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The King's Speech

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
This is exactly the kind of movie that usually gets nominated for all the Oscars.  It's a posh British film filled with foreign actors about a subject that's historical and obscure.  The difference with The King's Speech is that this year it's actually great, whereas usually they're boring.  This film, which stars Colin Firth (Love Actually, A Single Man) and Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean, Shine), is the true story of King George VI and how he overcame his stammer so he could lead a nation during WWII.  This is one of those rare movies that is both funny and moving at the same time.  I've often said that pulling off a dramedy is not easy at all.  When you make it a period picture it becomes even harder.  But director Tom Hooper does it very well; impressive considering that his background prior to this was mostly made-for-TV films.  Firth gives one of the finest performances from a leading actor of the year.  He not only molds his voice into a mirror sound of what King George VI sounded like, but doesn't make his stammer comical or over-the-top at all.  He also makes a character that is complex and interesting by showing us the ugly side of his temper and regal arrogance while also displaying his love for his family and vulnerability to his condition.  That's all aided by a great performance from Rush as well.  However, I'm not sure it's the role of his career since he's mostly playing himself and just happens to have an amazing script and part.  Same thing goes for Helena Bonham Carter (Fight Club, Alice in Wonderland), who plays Queen Elizabeth.  She's far from disappointing but it's her giving us goodness from a script that offers greatness.  That's not to say that this is entirely Firth's film though.  He's so good because he's surrounded by those that are making him look so.  Any other year, this would be the kind of film to easily walk away with the Oscar for Best Picture, but 2010 was such an amazing year for movies that, by comparison, this doesn't seem like it's up to par with the rest of the best.  The film made me laugh, it made me tear up and it even gave me goosebumps a bit, but it just slightly lacked the powerful climax I was hoping for.  When you have  a movie that builds to one single moment, it better be spectacular.  Sadly for The King's Speech it was not only historical with no wiggle room for Hollywood embellishment, but it also involved British royalty, who seem incapable of showing much emotion outside of anger.  That doesn't diminish the greatness that this movie is, but it waters down the effectiveness that it could have had. The King's Speech  (Rated R) Gavin Grade: A-
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The Dilemma

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
It's amazing that you can make a whole movie off of something that morning radio show hosts have been debating for decades.  "If you caught your best friend's spouse cheating, would you tell your best friend?"  That's the plot for the new movie from director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Angels and Demons) and stars Vince Vaughn, Kevin James (King of Queens, Hitch), Winona Ryder and Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream).  What's going to fight this movie from the beginning is a horrible ad campaign.  The poster is lame and just shows Vaughn and James as if this is another cliche buddy comedy of Vaughn's, only replacing his friend John Favreau with Kevin James this time around.  It seems like any Wedding Crashers or Old School in the trailer with the hip pop song playing while slapstick comedy displays him falling into plants.  Yes, those scenes are all in it, but that's not the tone of the film.  It's better than that.  This is a dramedy that carries a decent soul with it.  It's gonna rock audiences when they see Vaughn and James start to cry in scenes that aren't meant to be humorous at all.  Sure you'll hear some chuckles from people who are too uncomfortable to accept the silence, but they're not funny scenes.  Because of that I liked it more than I thought I would.  But because of that most people won't.  Your casual moviegoer will be disappointed that the laughs don't come often and when they do, they come cheaply.  The comedy aspects of the film flat out annoyed me at times.  Queen Latifah appears in a small part that is meant to drive people nutty with laughs but her character is boring, pointless and void of humor.  On the flip side, Channing Tatum (Dear John, G.I. Joe) is great as the small but important role as the "other guy."  In the future, I'd actually like to see him do more comedy because he's good at it.  I think the meat and potatoes of this film comes from Ron Howard.  He's a great director who'd tackled lots of genres, but this is the first dramedy he's done in a while; not since 1989's Parenthood.  Just like Parenthood, this movie is real quality but not great.  He gets the adult situations, real life drama and human interactions right but the comedy and humor mostly wrong.  The good news is that this film carries with it some great performances from actors that I would have guessed weren't capable of giving them at all or at the very least anymore.  I'm happily wrong there.  But the real dilemma for The Dilemma is whether people will accept their disappointment for it not being a true comedy and then move on and live in the drama.  I sure hope so. The Dilemma  (Rated PG-13) Gavin Grade: B-
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Eat Pray Love

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:20PM
To be perfectly honest and up front, I don't like Julia Roberts.  There!  I said it!  I know she's America's Sweetheart and everyone loves her, but I never found her to be a good actress and has coasted by all these years on her cuteness and her ability to get weepy on command.  However, the reason why Eat Pray Love wasn't good has nothing to do with her shortcomings.  This is the film version of the New York Times Bestseller by Elizabeth Gilbert and it's her memoir about her life and this experience she had.  It's gotta be hard for Gilbert to put up with criticism for this movie since the only thing to really not like about it is HER!  This film is over two hours long and every single second of it is dedicated to her and how unhappy she is because of...well, I don't know.  This woman has EVERYTHING and is still miserable.  Ironically funny though since the reoccurring theme in the film is that Americans don't know how to enjoy pleasure and really let themselves go.  The "problems" that Gilbert faces couldn't be more "American."  She's selfish.  She's rich.  She's unfeeling.  Does she learn anything by the end of the movie?  Sure she does.  After galavanting around the globe in paradise settings, not working, she damn well better or she should have her passport taken away and shoved down her throat.  Do I care at all that she changes by the end though?  Not one bit.  She gets to spend an entire year of her life living in Italy eating her way to happiness, India praying her way to forgiveness and Bali where she loves her way back to health.  Awe.  Poor her!  This book is insanely popular (my mother and brother are among the millions that love it) but I have NO IDEA why anyone would stomach this completely unlikable woman.  The sad part is that the movie looks amazing, which is a shock since it was directed by Glee's Ryan Murphy.  It also has some inspired and hypnotic performances by Billy Crudup (Big Fish, Watchmen), James Franco (Pineapple Express, Spiderman), and Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men).  The best performance, however, comes from the amazing Richard Jenkins (Burn After Reading, Step Brothers) who should get Oscar notice once again for this.  His scene is so gut-wrenching and sad, but when you compare his pain to hers it just makes you not like her even more!  The movie reminded me an awful lot of Sophia Coppolla's Lost in Translation.  It's a story about someone who has it all and is still not happy.  Boo freaking hoo.  If that's a feeling you can identify with then consider yourself lucky and piss off.  I haven't read the book.  Maybe it's a lot deeper when it's her pure thoughts written on a page.  But when put on a movie screen, even when it's being crafted by great actors, it's just indulgent, petty, privileged and annoying.  Maybe it's called Eat Pray Love because those are three things that are a lot more enjoyable than watching this film. Eat Pray Love  (Rated PG-13) Gavin Grade: C
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Up in the Air

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
I can't think of too many movies that came out this year that had a title as bad as this one.  Up in the Air?  Is that really the best they could come up with?  I know that was the title of the book it was based on but, geez...it sucks!  A good friend of mine from high school worked on this movie as the Second Assistant Camera Operator (his name is Craig M. Bauer and he's right after the cast in the credits...look for him!).  He said while filming this movie, "this one is actually really good."  He's a jaded film crew member who's worked on way too many movies to ever say a movie is GREAT, but this one truly is.  George Clooney stars as a professional bad news-giver who travels the country, day after day, firing employees at different companies.  His life is full of hotels, flights, casual relationships and no baggage.  He believes this is the best way to live since he's never weighed down by anything or anyone.  Anna Kendrick, who you might remember as Bella's plucky human friend "Jessica" in the Twilight series, is a young up-and-comer for Clooney's company who's being forced to tag along with him on a round of firings to see what field work is like.  Vera Farmiga (The Departed) is a sexy siren of the sky that he meets in his travels, who lives like him.  Out of this situation, we have the makings of a dramedy that is sure to pick up some Oscar nominations.  Clooney does what he does best by being the suave playboy he pretty much is in real life.  The vulnerability he displays in his emotions though are muted and subdued; but that seems to be the kind of guy his character is.  I think if I saw a real watery breakdown of tears I'd cry "Hollywood schlock" at the screen.  Instead this movie dwells in a world that is very real, very timely and very shallow and sad.  At a time when everyone knows at least one person that is out of work, it's hard to care about a character who fires so many on a daily basis without a care of what kind of person they leave in the dust.  But believe it or not...you do.  That's the wonder that director/writer Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You for Smoking) has done.  He made a very unlikable character not only likable, but sympathetically lovable.  Not an easy feat since the film is padded with montages of real life people from Detroit and St. Louis talking to the camera throughout the film about being laid off from their real jobs, some with devastatingly real tears.  Up in the Air takes that reality and makes it hopeful, happy and a perfect mirror on what's really important in your own life by being a very funny-at-times movie that's also about the recent sadness, despair and depression of the current economic turmoil in the country and uses those real life stories of terminations to frame what the movie is really about...connections.  Hmm...maybe that should have been the title. Up in the Air  (Rated R) Gavin Grade: A
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The Blind Side

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
The-Blind-Side-posterThis movie is shocking on several different levels.  Some of those shocks are good and some of them are bad.  In case you didn’t know, this is the true story of NFL player Michael Oher.  Now before all the women reading this tune out thinking it’s a football movie, understand that his story is one of heartbreak, tragedy, kindness, and love…and a little football.  One of the positive shocks to come from this was star Sandra Bullock’s performance.  Get this - she was actually good!  This might be one of the best performances of her career, but that’s not saying much since the bar wasn’t very high to begin with.  She plays a plucky, strong, WASPie, Southern Belle that runs the wealthy family that saves Oher from his ghetto war zone he roams night after night as a teenager.  Another positive shock was the performances from country singer Tim McGraw, who plays Bullocks husband, and the gentle giant, Quinton Aaron, who plays Oher.  Aaron is relatively new to acting but could have a career as big as his stature if he continues to get roles like this.  He’s able to convey so much sadness and defeat without saying a word, which works out for him since he only has about 25 lines in the whole film.  One of the negative shocks is how long this movie is.  It has a runtime of over 2 hours and as far as I could tell has no need for all that.  The other negative shock is the casting of child actor Jae Head as the youngest member of The Tuohy family.  Every scene this kid infects drips with hair-pulling schticks that would’ve made even Macaulay Culkin in “Home Alone” roll his eyes.  I could be in the minority on this since he seemed to earn laughter from most of the theater, but I couldn’t stand his annoying, hammy performance the entire movie.  Another shock that I had in the movie, that was neither good or bad, was how overtly Christian it was.  It almost seemed like it was made by a church group or Kirk Cameron.  There is heavy emphasis put on the fact that the wealthy Tuohy Family takes Michael Oher in because it’s their “Christian Duty.”  And in case you miss hearing that the first time in the film, don’t worry because they say it over and over and over again.  I kept wondering why.  Was it because they are trying to insinuate that more Christians need to be as charitable as that and many aren’t?  Is it because they wanted to take the emphasis off of the idea that maybe The Tuohys did it out of White Guilt?  Or was it to make you forget that The Tuohys were investigated by the NCAA for their role in raising Michael.  I don’t know.  But what I do know is that “The Blind Side” is a harmless and delightful movie that will make you appreciate what you have and want to help those who have nothing.  It “Hollywoods Up” the true story to a level that I’m sure isn’t 100% accurate but when looking at the actual photos of the family during the end credits you can’t help but to tear up a little bit. The Blind Side (Rated PG-13) Gavin Grade: B
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Funny People

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
I think that it's pretty misleading to have a movie called "Funny People" and that stars Adam Sandler.  Not a fan of his, never was and probably never will be.  However, he was good in this.  He wasn't funny, but he was good.  The movie is carried on the backs of Seth Rogen and Writer/Director Judd Apatow's great script.  This is kind of the last in a trilogy of Apatow's with "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" kicking it off.  Even though they don't have the same characters (which could be confusing since they all star the same people except the lead) they're a linear stream of conscientiousness for the road of life.  Although "Virgin" was about a 40-year-old, it dealt with a subject that represented early adulthood.  "Knocked Up" was about that pivotal moment in some lives that changes you for the rest of it.  And "Funny People" is about the mortality that awaits all of us and how we deal with it.  This one is probably the most serious of the three and ironically the least funny.  That's not to say that there aren't some great scenes and hilarious lines.  The one-hit-wonder, Jonah Hill, is there to provide most of that in the movie.  The problem with the film is the problem that Apatow has with all his films, they're too damn long.  There is always a part in the last act of his movies that just feels like it could be either cut completely or trimmed by about 20 minutes.  In Apatow's defense, it's really hard to make a comedy that's over 2 and a half hours long still entertaining but I would say that in most cases, no comedy should ever try.  The good news with this is that it's not a comedy...not really.  I thought that it did a good job of mixing the funny and the sad, but never once feeling like it was forced.  I think that probably comes from having a cast that has done this kind of movie so many times over.  It also may come from Apatow himself.  We've known for a while that he is a gifted writer that makes funny movies for adults that both men and women can enjoy together, but he's now also starting to really show his chops in the director's chair.  This is probably his most visually impressive movies to date, which might have something to do with the story being so visceral.  Of course Apatow does get a little annoying at times by allowing so many cameos in his movies, which now comes across as him just showing off how many famous people he can put in his films.  Just like the plot of the story, there's good news and bad news with "Funny People."  Good News: It's an amusing comedy that's not afraid to show you a dark and dramatic look at decisions that come from people who are facing death.  Bad News: It could've done that in a funnier, more dramatic and shorter way. Funny People (Rated R) Gavin Grade: B
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Away We Go

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
The one problem with a dramedy is that it's really hard to do well.  It never commits to either being a comedy or a drama so the scenes that venture in either direction are either not as funny as they could be or not as dramatic as their suppose to be taken.  That seems to be the problem with this.  I wanted to love this movie since I saw the trailer.  It stars John Krasinski (The Office) and Maya Rudolph (SNL) as a couple who are about to have a baby who travel to different cities trying to figure out where they want to live after finding out their only living parents are moving to Belgium.  It's written by David Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida.  They're both very accomplished novelists who basically used their own lives to create this story, and although many parts are fictional, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that most of it is true.  It's directed by Sam Mendes who is an amazing director who's done "American Beauty," "Jarhead," "Road to Perdition," and "Revolutionary Road."  He does a wonderful job guiding his characters through complex scenes of humor and tragedy, just like he did in other films.  But it just never seemed to grip me the way his movies did in the past.  But what I did like was the concept behind the film.  Krasinski and Rudolph see lots of friends and family in all these cities and through that they see lots of different styles of families that are out there.  Some of these are hilarious and some are downright depressing.  All of them are championed by an amazing cast of actors that range from Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara.  Besides realizing the different ways they don't want to raise a family they also see the different problems that having a family can create.  I thought that was really touching to see.  And while experiencing this, they begin to work out their own issues as well.  Again, it's a really great concept.  Did it translate as well as it should have - probably not.  I can't even really say where it lacked.  There are some belly laughs, Krasinski delivers another excellent performance and the film feels soft and inviting.  However I never knew how to interpret most of the scenes.  I was confused on what the goal of the film was.  I wasn't really shaken by any of the drama and I wasn't dying from most of the jokes.  I just kind of sat there and enjoyed watching the journey these two were taking.  And judging by the types of characters Krasinski and Rudolph played...I imagine that's all they would want from me in return. Away We Go (Rated R) Gavin Grade: B
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Adventureland

by Gavin , posted Nov 2 2011 7:19PM
Adventureland (Rated R) Gavin Grade: B Remember the movie "The Village" by M. Knight Shamyalan?  Were you one of those people who hated that movie because you went into it thinking it would be really scary and when you weren't scared in the slightest you were just pissed at the movie and thought it sucked?  Did you ever go back and watch it again and realize that it's actually a really good drama and not a thriller at all?  Well it is.  It was a victim of dumpy advertising.  Exhibit B in the case against crap advertising: "Adventureland."  All the advertising for this movie made it seem like a very funny comedy about a horrible summer job.  It's about a summer job alright, but not a comedy.  This is a film that pumps in the same vein as "Juno" or "Little Miss Sunshine."  It's a drama that just happens to have some funny scenes.  What I really enjoyed about this movie was the nostalgia.  Granted the film takes place in 1987, when I was only 7, but it makes you remember fondly that one summer job you had that you hated at the time but now realize it was the best summer of your life.  For me it was when I was a tour guide at a cave called Indian Echo Caverns.  It also was a great period piece that subtly captured the culture clash going on in the mid-80s of the rich, the poor and the nouveau riche.  Greg Mottola ("Superbad") wrote and directed this as a semi-autobiography and you can tell.  Newcomer, Jesse Eisenberg stars in it as an identifiable character, but not a super likable one at times.  Kristen Stewart (Bella for all you "Twilight" nerds) is in this to prove once again that she is either a terrible normal acttress or a terrific actress with a crippling twitch.  SNL stars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig tagteam as great comic relief but the comedic star is a performance by Matt Bush.  You may not know him yet, but he's in the AT&T commercials where he fights with his mom over old rollover minutes.  He was fantastic in the movie and I have a feeling we'll see a lot of him in the future.  But again I warn you not to see this looking for a laugh-a-minute romp, but instead a pleasant, warm emotion as you think back to a snapshot of your own horrible summer job that lead to the best summer of your life.
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