REVIEW: Trainwreck

8/10 - Is The Dogwalker also a movie? I'd watch the hell out of that. 

2015 was the year of Amy Schumer. Her show Inside Amy Schumer went into its third season, winning a Peabody Award. She hosted the MTV Movie Awards, and opened for Madonna on her latest tour. She had a stand-up comedy special on HBO, and in the middle of all that, she wrote and starred in this film. I assume in 2016 she'll take a nap then do it all again.

Trainwreck is a return to form for comedy director/producer Judd Apatow. It's about a party-girl slash commitaphobe, Amy (Schumer) who finds herself falling in love with celebrity sports doctor, Aaron (Bill Hader). It feels like a very successful marriage of Schumer's brand of raunchy comedy, and the character stories that Apatow is drawn to.

While Amy's character might seem familiar to those who watch her show, it's a refreshing change of pace for romantic comedies. Even the most die hard rom-com fan has to admit, the all-work-and-no-play trope has really run it's course for women in these movies. Turning the tables put Amy's character in the front and center as by far the most interesting person in the film.

What came as a surprise was the amount of heart in the movie. Comedies lately don't seem to even need a story, just a loosely stitched together series of events. When Bill Hader's character begins dating Amy, I was waiting for the film to go off the rails. Maybe influenced by Judd Apatow, the story stayed realistic instead of veering into improvised lines. both Schumer and Hader showed refined dramatic chops. Hader was the perfect charming boyfriend, and Schumer showed a lot of vulnerability in her relationships, especially the scenes with her father, Colin Quinn. Just more proof that these two are big movie stars in the making.

The athletes that crossed over into acting for this film were some of the funniest cast members. John Cena plays a dimwitted boyfriend of Amy's with some of the best lines in the whole film. LeBron James plays a fictional version of himself who could star in his own spin off.

One of the best takeaways from Trainwreck is Tilda Swinton. She is absolutely unrecognizable as Amy's boss and magazine editor Dianna. Apparently her character was inspired by Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld, but it reminded me of a toxic combination Anna Wintour and Janice Dickinson. Tilda has been transforming herself on screen for years, but this transformation is so dramatic it should up up there with Charlize Theron in Monster.

If Trainwreck had been a funnier movie with over the top comedy sketches it would be a great disservice to the talent in the film. It's an old story told in a new, refreshing way. Definitely a standout for 2015.

IMBd - Trainwreck (6.5)

Wikipedia - Trainwreck

Rotten Tomatoes - Trainwreck (85%)

Amazon.ca - Trainwreck

REVIEW: Aloha

3/10 - Perfect movie to leave on the TV for your cats when you go out. 

I really like Cameron Crowe, even though his movies aren't pushing the limits of filmmaking. At his worst he captures heart and sincerity in his movies, and that's better than most. I also really like Emma Stone, who doesn't. Bradley Cooper, yes please. Rachel McAdams another delight. Bill Murray?! Are you kidding, sign me up for this film.

None of those talented people could save Aloha. It's a shallow snooze-fest with nothing worthwhile to say. Halfway through I was wishing someone would buy a Zoo.

Aloha follows Brian a military contractor (Bradley Cooper) as he dicks around on Hawaii going between millionaires who want to exploit the Hawaiian resources (Bill Murray and Alec Baldwin) and the native Hawaiians, inexplicably represented by Emma Stone. Brian's ex-wife is also there with her new husband (Rachel McAdams and John Krasinski) where they do some stuff with their kids.

There is very little about Aloha that doesn't feel contrived. I've come to expect Cameron Crowe rom-coms to feature very little conflict and represent more personal journeys, and this is almost an attempt to do the opposite. It's so story heavy that it doesn't play to any of Crowe's strengths and it just an incomprehensible bore. Even Bradley Coopers character doesn't come across as likable, and all the other characters seem to exist solely as predictable roadblocks. The story becomes a diluted cocktail of American military pride, astrophysics, Hawaiian culture, and romantic feelings, where none of those story points fully come through, and all them them become weaker in combination.

I can't even sign off on this film representing Hawaiian culture despite the name. There's the obvious Emma Stone controversy that I can't add to, other than to agree that she was a terrible casting choice and her character does Hawaii a disservice.

Perhaps I'm disappointed with the film because I had hoped that beyond the initial kick back the film faced, there might be something redeeming about it. I couldn't find anything to make this movie worthwhile. There's no major trainwreck moment, it's just the kind of movie that makes you want to netflix and nap.

IMDb - Aloha (5.5)
Wikipedia - Aloha
Rotten Tomatoes - Aloha (19%)
Amazon.ca - Aloha

REVIEW: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Picture Nominee

Best Original Screenplay Nominee

3/10 - I don't like this movie. 

I literally don't know how to review a movie so polarizing, when I'm on the hate side. Actually it's not even polarizing. It's pretty much unanimously acclaimed. I just straight up don't get it. 

I've enjoyed a few Wes Anderson movies, like The Life Aquatic and Fantastic Mr. Fox. They were ok. I get the two two dimensional stylization. I understand that some people love it and think it's the bee's knee's. I'm on the side of loathing one word defined characters and paper thin plot lines. 

The Grand Budapest Hotel is about some random stuff that I didn't care to follow. I swear to god, I watched this movie twice and that's the best I can come up with. A bunch of white guys run around, some of them have guns. I don't know what to say. It was like watching a foreign film without subtitles. 

For me, I simply cannot connect to an endless stream of identical characters who all look and behave the same. Compound that with my utter lack of interest in following the story of these people and I'm done for.

I've watched a lot of movies. I've seen a lot of weird stuff. I usually try to get the weird stuff, and understand the point of view, even if I don't like it. This movie... The Grand Budapest Hotel is a brick wall. This is going to a concert to see a band and getting a puppet show. 

This is not the movie for me. I hope it loses everything. Sorry not sorry. 

IMDb - The Grand Budapest Hotel (8.1)

Wikipedia - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Rotten Tomatoes - The Grand Budapest Hotel (92%)

Amazon.ca - The Grand Budapest Hotel

REVIEW: St. Vincent

8/10 - What are you waiting for a paper invitation? 

This is one of my favorite movies of 2014. It's also probably my favorite Bill Murray role of the last 10 years. It's also probably going to get reviews saying it's mediocre and predictable. Even so, I don't care, St. Vincent just hits me in the right way.

The rundown is this: Bill Murray plays Vincent, a misanthropic asshole who smokes and drinks, hangs out with prostitutes and has lost all him money gambling. His new neighbor Maggie movies in with her kid Oliver. Vincent ends up hanging out with Oliver, watching him after school while Maggie works long hours trying to support her family as a newly single parent.

I'm just going to say this now. If you are the least bit cynical or go in expecting beginning to end belly laughs, you'll be disappointed. Fortunately I'm a big softy deep down, so coming of age combo-love your family drama is right up my ally.

What I found refreshing about St. Vincent is that the characters are not trapped inside the vacuum of the protagonists journey. All the characters in this film come from different backgrounds, and have different conflicts in their lives, different with points of view, and all grow and change by the end. No one is a villain for the sake of being bad, or good for the sake of innocence. It's almost the opposite of Chef, where there were clear character roles and good things happened making the audience feel good. In this case, the character roles fluctuate and major obstacles come up in an unexpected way. But it still makes the audience feel good. 

Like I said, Bill Murray is fantastic. It's nice to see actors out of their comfort zones, and Bill Murray has fallen into this trap of playing characters almost exactly like himself. While his charm does a huge favor in this role to make an unlikable character more palatable, Vincent is something out of the ordinary for him. Melissa McCarthy too. I can't remember McCarthy ever playing a straight role. She's a mom, a nurse, she's struggling, she's real. For someone who normally play's characters so over the top they are basically cartoons, this is a fresh revelation. When I read the script I was in total disbelief that Naomi Watts would work in her role, and she definitely changed my mind. It's a great cast who really surprises. I think it's a real credit to writer/director Theodore Melfi who got the best out of this pool of talented actors. 

I'm a big fan of St. Vincent. It might be a bit paint by numbers, a bit cliche, and a bit saccharine but I like a movie that doesn't shy away from those elements. It's easy to be critical of a movie that relies on sentimentality but that doesn't take away from the quality of the story. At the end of the day I was rooting for the kid, laughing at the jokes and enraptured by the ending. Isn't that what we watch movies for?

IMDb - St. Vincent (7.3)
Wikipedia - St. Vincent
Rotten Tomatoes - St. Vincent (77%)
Amazon.ca - St. Vincent

REVIEW: The Interview

6/10 - Yeah yeah, Sony Hack, terrorist threat, controversy, blah blah. Don't care.

You know what's weird? The thing that stood out to me the most about The Interview is the production value. Really outstanding sets, costumes, graphics. Great editing on quick montages. Good music, lighting, cinematography, everything. Scenes that could have been bland were spruced up with a healthy budget to create great visuals.

I don't care much for the actors, jokes, or story though.

I will confess, this is another movie where I read the script before seeing the film. Perhaps that deflated some of the story and comedic elements? You can judge.

I feel like this is The Hobbit of comedy. All the elements are there, to make a funny film. On paper it should work. But with too big of a budget and too much confidence it's lost the whole reason people wanted this movie to begin with. They thought they were making another Jump Street or This is The End but instead they ended up with something messy and boring.

The Interview is a perfectly mediocre film about regular schmucks getting thrown into international espionage. James Franco plays an exaggerated Ryan Seacrest type entertainment reporter, and Seth Rogan plays himself? Is Seth Rogan best buds with Ryan Seacrest? I'm not sure. I think in this film Seth was supposed to be a producer or something, but he really just played himself. It opens with some really hilarious scenes showing Franco interviewing celebs and uncovering the best juicy gossip. I'd watch a whole movie of just that. Then they get thrown down a rabbit hold of interviewing the dictator of North Korea and being fuck ups about it.

I'm not sure what exactly turned me off from this movie but I think it's somewhere in the combo of unmemorable jokes and a weak plot. At the end of the day this concept lends itself to some serious political satire. I'm not sure if making fun of Kim Jong-Un in a pre-school way is really sufficient. I also found in the script, there was greater emphasis on the fact that as the dictator of North Korea the population was suffering inhumane atrocities, and they were heavily manipulating their image for the these two media representatives. The final cutting of the film doesn't go near the oppressed people aspect, perhaps because it's a mood killer, but then it's harder justify Kim Jong-Un as the ultimate enemy.

I also found myself frustrated that The Interview is self aware enough to comment on the use of women solely for male seduction, and yet every woman in the movie is only there to seduce a man. What can you do?

I think the best things to take away from The Interview are Randall Park and Diana Bang. Both actors were great in their roles and were quite funny. Something that isn't easy when this film is a vehicle for Franco and Rogan to be funny.

So The Interview gets a big pass. If you saw the trailer you probably saw about as much memorable material as their is in the whole film. It's not an offensively bad comedy like We're the Millers, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone out there enjoyed this film. It's just not my cup of tea.

Wikipedia - The Interview
IMDb - The Interview (7.1)
Rotten Tomatoes - The Interview (51%)
Amazon.ca - The Interview