Review of "The Woman in Black"

For Daniel Radcliffe, his role as a lawyer and father of a 4 year old boy is a landmark role. Aside from some respectable onstage roles, Radcliffe has been known only as Harry. Although entertaining and creepy when narrowly escaping cliché, The Woman in Black watches more like proof of Radcliffe's eagerness to shred those trendy round frames for more cinematic endeavors.

The Woman in Black
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer
Directed by James Watkins
My Opinion: Eh.

The film follows Arthur Kipps as he travels to a remote village of Cryphin Gifford in order to examine the documentation of an old mansion haunted by the spirit of its late owner. Personally, I really love possessed children crushing their doll's faces as they walk to a window to jump to their deaths, but this isn't exactly an original opening for a film. In general, the director relies far too heavily on cut-aways of decaying toys and expressionless dolls. Watching The Woman in Black is kind of like going through a haunted house with a predictable yet satisfying ending. I honestly don't have much to say because, what with its generic, scrambled storyline and cookie-cutter Victorian era-dialogue, the film itself doesn't leave much of an impression.

I will say that I am happy with the way it ended. I was excitedly clawing at my seat for at least the final five minutes of the film. Yet it was too little and way too late. With the final moments as the anxiety-inducing climax, the film as a whole is slightly above mediocre, but I don't regret having watched it. I do hope that Radcliffe's next role is more challenging and invigorating than this easy go-to film.

Review of "Ted"

In The Little Princess, a father explains to his daughter that when she's not looking, all her toys come to life, only to return to their inanimate selves when she tries to look at them. Of course, Pixar's Toy Story films told the same fantasy with charming characters and a witty script. Now that we've all grown up, we have a new film to satisfy our dreams: Seth MacFarlane's tale of a little boy who wishes his teddy bear to life.

Ted
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane
Directed by Seth MacFarlane
My Opinion: Take it lightly, but it's a trip.

Just like the original Toy Story fans, that little boy and his toy have grown up, and the romance of bear-come-to-life has outlived its sweetness. Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) has become a foul mouthed, jobless stoner who depends on his best friend, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg). The problem is John has a serious, and seriously hot, girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) who wants John to grow up. But as long as John has his teddy bear, he'll always be a little boy. So, Ted has to move on with his life. That means getting a job and an apartment of his own - that's when the fun starts.

Ted is exactly what you want it to be. It's a pretty stupid movie, but it's hilarious from the beginning. While it does turn surprisingly serious towards the end, it's necessary for the movement of the plot. For best results, Ted is best taken with a lot of alcohol, a little weed, and a lot of people who are in the mood for stupid laughter. Don't get it from RedBox with your boyfriend for a romantic Thursday night because you'll just think it's fucking stupid. This movie needs some social vigor to go down smoothly.

Review of "Video Diary of a Lost Girl"

In Video Diary of a Lost Girl, Lindsay Denniberg brings us an unusual and ticklish tale of a demon enamored by love most unnatural. The initiates a series of bold and chaotic images with an unnerving illustration of Lillith, who, according to Jewish Folklore, was the first woman. Made from the earth just like Adam, Lillith refused to submit to her male counterpart. After he raped her, she made love to demons and gave birth to the new race of women: the Lillin. 

After the poignant and hooking introduction, Denniberg's film introduces the demons as creatures of modernity. They seem like normal girls who like to party and eat Cool Ranch Doritos, but there is one thing that's a little different: they fuck to live and fuck to kill. Once that time of the month rolls around, they bleed and it doesn't stop until they get a little somethin' somethin'. If they don't cookie their nookie, they will bleed to death, but if they harvest on time, the lover becomes the victim. Enter the youngest Lillin: Lousie. Outcast from the other Lillin, Louise is awkwardly passing her time working at an adult video store as she approaches her centennial. She quietly minds her own business, acting as close to human as she can, until the day that her very first victim,  the man who broke her death cherry, returns from the grave for a little visit. The audience soon learns that despite her demon DNA, Louise fell in love with her exed and his return proves no easier.

Video Diary of a Lost Girl
Starring: Priscilla McEver, Chris Shields
Directed by Lindsay Denniberg
My Opinion: I see a cult following...
and I'm at the front.

With all the mythology and rules and regulations of demon-hood, there is a shit-ton of story and background to communicate. However, Denniberg's spicy but casual dialogue successfully articulates the doomed love story intertwined in this unfamiliar fantasy world. The expressionalist style and use of video effective communicates the tone of the Lillin's tale. In addition to the never ending parade of enamoring imagery accented by homages to horror classics, the soundtrack creates an atmosphere of haunted lust. The voices are akin to Siouxsie and PJ Harvey tragically dying together from a  heroine overdose, yet the resulting sound is breathtaking. Somehow, the film also makes room for several catchy tunes that have adhered themselves to my cranium.

Naturally, the film isn't without its imperfections. I will reluctantly admit that the acting is one of the film's weaker points. That being said, a certain presence of awkward moments and rocky delivery have become a staple in the world of indie filmmaking, however, the dialogue in Video Diary is so clean and natural that it minimizes the shortcomings of any of the actors. Furthermore, the richness of the characters in the film prove that Denniberg sculpted each actor into their roles. In the end, everyone is very convincing and every performance has some truly, lovely moments.

Video Diary of a Lost Girl is a lot to take in one sitting. The film could be construed as another flick about an angsty adolescent demon confronting her first romance. However, it gets a little more tenderhearted than you'd expect. Even the darker moments have a spooky charm with a level of cult-class that's as addicting to original films of Tim Burton (Pewee's Great Adventure, Mars Attacks!). I'd also say that the horror films of Peter Jackson's early career were brought to mind. It's truly a wonderfully entertaining gem of indie film: dark and funny with just a touch of sweetness. It is seriously impressive for a feature debut.

Review of "The Dark Knight Rises"

The epitome of the year for nerds all over has finally come: The Dark Knight has risen, the trilogy is complete.

The Dark Knight Rises
Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy
Directed by Christopher Nolan
My Recommendation: See it.

The film begins with the winded billionaire limping through his manor, avoiding any and all public appearances. He's withered and isolated: far from the man who protected Gotham eight movie years ago. He has dissipated into an old man. Of course Christian Bale is master of deforming himself, but the transformation from the stoic Batman into the Bruce Wayne is nearly wrenching. However, Christopher Nolan doesn't take that much time exploring this Bruce; in fact, we learn more about Alfred than Bruce in this film. Of course, the state of intimacy with the superhero that the precursors establish was innovative, but Rises is differentiated by the rawness of its action-driven plot.

I wouldn't say that this is a bad thing, the movie essentially is clusterfuck of violence. One of the most important accomplishments of this film is that Bane, the new villain, fills the shoes left large and empty by Heath Ledger's Joker. Of course, the blurred lines of good and evil are so invigorating that Bane seems much more shallow. He's almost too evil. However, this does work for the story, which is less of a developed plot-line than a spiral of shit, sucking Batman down below rock bottom and forcing him to admirably pull himself back up. It's fast, angry and packed with brutal combat, much of it hand to hand. It's very entertaining action, but with a lot less depth than the previous film.

Most reviews are a side by side study of Rises and its predecessor. I fear that I have also fallen into this trap, but how can you not? The last one was great, even though I was disappointed by Two Face's story line. Whether or not it was realistic to top what the last one had done, The Dark Knight Rises was the appropriate and entertaining end to a very solid franchise. Was it too long at parts? Most definitely. Was it a little shallow? Of course. But it's fun and the biggest movie of this summer. Don't miss out.

Review of "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

New Orleans is one of the most magical and intriguing places in the entire United States. The culture is distinct and rich - especially to someone coming from Nowhere, Midwest. Needless to say, I found Beasts of the Southern Wild unwaveringly entrancing. I will begin by saying that you cannot see this film on an empty stomach, especially if you like Cajun cuisine. There must have been 100 lbs of tasty, meaty shrimp eaten in the film... and this one scene with a prostitute cooking beer battered catfish... oh, yeah. The movie.

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Starring: Quvenzahné Wallis, Dwight Henry
Directed by Benh Zeitlin
My Opinion: Highly recommended.

Taking heavily from the genre of magical realism, this film impressively portrays a child's perspective of impoverished life in a community outside the safely laden levees, an area called The Bathtub. The star of the film is Hush Puppy, a six year old girl, who lives alone with her daddy. Estranged from her maternal ties, Hush Puppy spends some of the movie hugging her mother's basketball jersey and speaking to a stick figure drawing on the wall: rather typical behavior of a motherless child. However, Hush Puppy is anything but ordinary. In fact, she is likely one of the most stoic figures in the history of cinema.

Hush Puppy's daddy raised her tough as tough can be. At first, his behavior towards his daughter seems antagonistic and bordering abusive. But quickly the viewer is made to understand that this father-daughter relationship reflects the conditions in The Bathtub. Hush Puppy's father can't coddle her: he must make a survivor out of her. Even in school, Hush Puppy learns that survival is all that matters. Anything living is meat. Yeah, it's pretty shocking to hear a six year old talking about eating her pets, but Hush Puppy is so unbelievably charming that you can't help but admire her for her strength. Naturally, when her father's ailing condition worsens, it is terrifying for the soon-to-be orphaned Hush Puppy. Yet, her almost mystical courage gives us hope.

Beasts of the Southern Wild isn't trying to make a large political statement, because that's not what Hush Puppy is seeing in her world. The film is a portrait of a very impressive little girl and her home. Now, I'm a huge sucker for an impressive child lead, but I'll be damned if this film didn't deliver that and more.

Review of "Tiny Furniture"

Blind

After officially admitting that I like Lena Dunham's new HBO series Girls, I was excited to see the film that sparked the interest of producer Judd Apatow. Unfortunately, after I saw this film I felt like I went to an obscure but Zagat rated restaurant only to receive had a tepid meal. Yeah, it kinda sucked.

I will start out by saying that the premise is modern and very relatable. Dunham's character Aura is moving back to her New York City home after graduating college with a film degree. She is greeted by her overachieving sister and her preoccupied mother who likes to photograph tiny furniture. Aura gets a job as a day time hostess at a local restaurant, where she does nothing but flirt with the cute sous chef for $11 an hour. As someone who also earned a film degree and became a hostess upon graduating, I was quite pleased about seeing my own desperate and stupid decisions play out on screen. Of course, her story was surprisingly dissimilar. Though normally I'd say that movies that show girls scouring Craigslist in their underwear are boring, apparently so is the alternative plot offered by Dunham.

Tiny Furniture
Starring: Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Grace Dunham
Directed by Lena Dunham
My Opinion: Just listen to some menstrual girl bitching.
You'll save time and money for the same anti-climatic experience.

I found the stasis of the film rather surprising because Aura is at a point in her life where everything is changing. The security of being in school with but a few worries aside from keeping up in classes has just plummeted from beneath her feet, leaving her to float to a post-college home that proves much less welcoming and comfortable as it did in the past. Yes, her friends are still there, but her family is waiting for her to move out. In some ways, Tiny Furniture does a decent job of portraying her struggle and frustration, especially when it involves other people, but the outcome, as I've already said before, is not entertaining nor conclusive.

At first, the film introduces Aura to all types of different circumstances: she meets a semi-famous couch surfing YouTube comedian who ends up staying with her and working at a new job. This is all very charming and complimented by unique dialogue that isn't quite witty but more on the cute side. Nevertheless, her interactions with her friends, family and even with the mysteriously modern white closet in her mother's apartment are intriguing. I found myself excited to witness how all of these new and old relationships will unfold themselves. However, as the film wears on, it becomes little more than Aura still not getting laid by that Nietzschean Cowboy, still flirting with the hot chef, still not really getting along with her family, and still neglecting her friends.

The little conflict that actually exists in the film arises from the friction between Aura and her mother. It's pretty dull until Aura finally snaps under the mild pressure and begins to scream at her mother about the same angsty shit that we all remember screaming at our mothers when we were 15 and wildly hormonal. Unfortunately, it's not the confrontation we've been waiting for and it's a huge letdown for the climax of a rather lifeless dull movie. Furthermore, the filming of this climactic moment is so obnoxiously distancing that I had trouble caring at all. The whole debacle is filmed from far away in one long shot so as to keep us from seeing Aura's facial expressions or that of her family. I don't know what the effect of this was supposed to be, but it left me very frustrated because I didn't feeling anything for this girl whose life was so close to mine. The audience is made a fly on a very boring wall... and I just don't think it really worked.

In the same way that Aura neglects her best college friend by admitting that she can't move in with her anymore only a few days in advance, Lena Dunham neglects the script. The whole story falls through like an unsigned lease. Without the story and dialogue to back it up, what the hell is the point in making a film like this?

Review of "Jeff Who Lives at Home"

Jeff Who Lives at Home chronicles the eventful day of the estranged Jeff, his troubled brother and his lonely mother. Jeff is a stoner, living at home and nearing his thirties. Like many in his situation, he is desperately trying to discover what his place is in the world: he overanalyzes wrong numbers and random happenings, interpreting them as signs from the universe. Eventually, we witness Jeff discover a purpose to his life - one that is part of the greater whole.

Jeff Who Lives at Home
Starring: Jason Segal, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon
Directed by Jay & Mark Duplass
My Opinion: Eh.

As a whole, the film focuses less on Jeff and his life than I had expected. It should really be called: Jeff Who Lives at Home, His Brother Who Found Out His Emotionally Abandoned Wife is Having an Affair and His Mother Who is Really Very Lonely. Obviously, that wouldn't fit on the poster as well as the actual title does, but at least it would be much more telling of what the film is actually about. While the film begins with Jeff in his gloomy, dissipated status, the purpose that he pursues comes to light in an expectedly altruistic light.  The moral is a conventional, but a truthful one: we are all here for a greater purpose, for each other. Yes, this is a nice and tidy point, but because of it the film begins to lack focus.

Each thread in the story eventually rises and converges, but unlike Jeff's life, they seem to lack a deeper meaning. Furthermore, the film veers away from comedy and maintains a steady dramatic structure that is occasionally tinged by a laugh geared by a member of the talented triad cast. The bottom line is pretty clear. There needs to be more dark humor in this at times morose tale, otherwise it's just plain uncomfortable and boring. I found myself rather apathetic to the characters in the film. In addition to the reprehensible steel drums which cast an obnoxious light in the background throughout the entire film, there was something else that impeded Jeff from being entertaining. There was a lot of potential for this film, mostly due to the cast, but I found myself watching the credits roll with a sigh of relief.

All that being said, the film's opening shot which reveals Jeff speaking his thoughts into a tape recorder while sitting on the toilet is really very clever and a wonderful introduction. I only hope that the rest of the film kept the strange, dark humor that poignantly opened the film. Unfortunately, this welcoming tone vanished quickly, leaving me anxious for Jeff to find himself just so the film would end.