Director: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
With: Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carrell, Sam Rockwell, AnnaSophia Robb
It has great reviews and a lot of people I know from the online community recommended this film. I expected too much and while it didn't disappoint, I'm not too enthusiastic about it either. There is nothing groundbreaking that happened in the film but it has a LOT of laughs that will make your movie experience worthy. It's also not devoid of gushiness.
Best part of it are the performances of the cast showcased with the wit of its screenplay. Liam James as an awkward teenager stucked in a vacation with adults he didn't really enjoy as company was really good in portraying that role. He was good at playing an awkward adolescent. Funny thing is that he's with Amanda Peet in this film. Just 4 years ago, they worked together in 2012. Their relationship in 2012 is still very vivid to me. Aside from being one of my favorite films, I thought they had great chemistry with each other as mother and son. In The Way Way Back, they have different roles but it was kind of awkward watching Amanda Peet grinding her ex-son in this film. :)) Then you also have veteran comedians like Steve Carrell, who characterized a very convincing asshole that will surely irritate you. Toni Collette played Pam, the mother of Duncan who's really good in showing natural and over-the-top emotional acting. It's kind of a Little Miss Sunshine reunion except not really. But hands down, the best performance in this film goes to Sam Rockwell. Everyone's going to like him in this film. My favorite scene in this film involves him. There's always something special with a character who is arrogant but turns out to be the unsung hero of the film. Rockwell's character is the instrument of the real message of this film and he delivered it without being cheesy and stereotypical.
I think this film is really sweet, funny and poignant at the same time. This is a good movie to watch when you're having a bad time. :)
Director: David Gordon Green
With: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch
Prince Avalanche is a strange comedy about two men working on an isolated highway that's been ravaged by wildfire.
If you're a nature lover, listens to Explosions in the Sky and a huge fan of Friends, on paper, you would appreciate Prince Avalanche. As it is a total show of great landscapes and artistic cinematography, assimilated with great musical score by Explosions in the Sky and David Wingo and displays Paul Rudd's range in acting (Paul Rudd played the love interest of Phoebe in Friends). These are the greatest components of the film. Add to that is Emile Hirsh's (Lance) delightful execution of Paul Rudd's (Alvin) sidekick in this film.
This is also another film that delivers an unlikely friendship between two opposite personalities; one is happy-go-lucky and the other is more reserved. On the second half of the film, both learned a life changing news that strengthened their friendship. As the cheerful and easy going Lance has to face a serious crossroad and the reserved Alvin learns about the true feelings of his girlfriend. Basically, the women of their lives both changed their outlook, strengthening their brotherhood.
This is the third film in a row where I have to say that the leads have good connection. It makes me realize how important chemistry is in a film that features friendship and love. Because to be quite honest, I feel like the film suffers from a shallow, cliché and contrived story. The storyline and the characters badly need more journey and complexity. The film is just okay as it is, it has a conclusion but it's not that groundbreaking especially that it's apparent that they want to touch their viewers' sensitive side. I got no big emotions from this film. It's not captivating nor revolutionary. In fairness to the film though, the quiet scenes were done beautifully. Alvin's mime scene was hauntingly quirky.
I guess it's all about interpretation. Perhaps, it's not groundbreaking as the film is a huge personification of reading between the lines. After all, the lines in the middle of the isolated highway were done by Alvin and Lance. :3
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
With: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moisés Arias
The Kings of Summer is a simple story of two friends, Joe and Patrick, with their amigo Biaggo, who went to live in the woods. There, they built their own house and live freely without anyone telling them what to do. It's the usual coming-of-age story where teenagers want to experience how to be independent by being away from their parents.
The first part of the film presents the lives of these teenagers with their parents, and how these parents annoy them to no end. This triggers them to live in the woods without telling anyone even their parents. The first part for me is actually quite weak. The film reached its peaked when they started building their shelter, started looking for food and just by doing what they want to do. There's a montage of crazy stuff that they did in the forest which is probably the only thing that I liked in the film. :)) Very reminiscent of teenage years, it will make you laugh and realize that this stage of your life is truly one of the best.
Then it all went downhill when Joe invited her crush, Heather, for dinner in the house that they built in the woods. It turned out to be a disaster as Heather showed her interest in Patrick. Then, not that it's already predictable, Joe accepted this fact and let Patrick have Heather. In the end, they remained friends and stood the test of time >_<. Yawn. And okay, I won't miss to mention the fact that your family, the one you're born with, will always be there and will always be your family.
The trailer made this film so amazing as it didn't give anything but you know that it would be fun and there's probably more to it. The film, however, is the complete opposite as the message of the film is so spoonfed, it didn't leave anything to the viewers. Although I have to give Moises Arias an acknowledgment, the actor who played Biaggo as he's the most integral part of the film. He's very funny and his way of comedy is something that I don't usually find hilarious. I think he's the only one that is effective in this film.
It's good to watch coming of age films from time to time but The Kings of Summer just lacked the depth and failed to live up to its promise.
Director: Jeff Nichols
With: Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Sam Shepard, Reese Witherspoon
Love, family, friendship, growing up, and life, in general -- all of these encompassed in the modern day Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn movie of Jeff Nichols. With its number of subjects, this film can be categorized as a combination of coming-of-age drama, suspense and romance. The last film I watched by Jeff Nichols was Take Shelter which is something I consider as boring. Mud has the same technique Jeff Nichols used in Take Shelter where each scene makes a great build up for its climax. Therefore, having a better effect. But Mud has all the qualities I like in a film, great storytelling, great characters, with great acting. Take Shelter lacks the focus and the charisma that Mud possesses.
Mud also succeeds because of the performances of the cast. From all of the films I've watched from Matthew McConaughey, I think his portrayal of Mud is his career defining performance. All people who see him in this film can definitely say that he can really act and cannot deny that he has the chops to win an Oscar someday for his acting prowess. I assume he's not far from achieving that as he's slowly becoming overdue of at least a nomination with the past snubs of his performances in serious movies like Killer Joe, Magic Mike and The Lincoln Lawyer. His co-star Tye Sheridan was also excellent! For such a young age, Sheridan has the authenticity and depth of the character Ellis, a teenage boy who's struggling to live with his parents on the verge of their separation and who had a rude awakening about the truth of young love. Sheridan's acting here is in fact, very reminiscent of Jennifer Lawrence's Ree in Winter's Bone. I don't know if they just have some resemblance, but both for sure was exceptional with their respective roles.
It's kind of funny because I just watched The Kings of Summer who has a LOT of similarities with Mud. But Mud stands out because of its superb direction, screenplay and cinematography that it absolutely made The Kings of Summer look like trash. The direction and screenplay are sharp as it transcends with each of the scenes of the film. That is of course, with the help of an accomplished cinematography which beautified the film more.
I also love the fact that it almost never showed any kind of sappiness. In fact, it displayed a lot of toughness especially with the characters of Ellis and Mud despite facing difficult times in their lives. It's tough in a sense where the characters show masculinity rather than insensitivity which made the film more affecting to any of its viewers.
Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
With: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson
You'll miss the crazy ride that is This is the End if you take it too seriously. Evan Goldberg, associated with This is 40, Pineapple Express, 50/50 and Knocked Up with his favorite Seth Rogen, know exactly what they're doing when they created this apocalyptic comedy film starring, an all star comedic ensemble, Seth Rogen himself, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill and many more who all play as their fictitious selves. With cameos from Emma Watson, Rihanna among others, this film is a riot and will definitely surprise you. While I'm not a huge fan of some humor used in This is the End, it managed to make me laugh out loud a couple of times than a regular comedy.
Jonah Hill is probably my favorite in the cast. A couple of punch lines about his Academy nomination was either thrown at him or said by him and they never failed to crack me up. All worked on me. Not a fan of Pineapple Express but I already like James Franco and Seth Rogen's duo in this than the former. Michael Cera also brought the laffos as the cast's resident perv who unfortunately didn't last long in this film. But his absence was filled with several hysterical scenes and surprises throughout the film.
The buffoonery in this film, I think, won't be well received by some. It's either you'll stop watching it after seeing a few of its scenes or you'll enjoy it from the beginning to end. Not to mention, several reference about Harry Potter, Forrest Gump, Where The Wild Things Are and even Million Dollar Baby, who was linked to Jay Baruchel, was also a pleasurable treat if you've watched those films! I was kind of disappointed as I thought there's going to be a lot of disastrous scenes but it was easily replaced with the hilarity of the cast so I think, it's still worth it if you want to have a good amount of laugh.
No comments:
Post a Comment