Wanderlust

First Hit:  There are some funny moments but overall this film falls flat.

There is little chemistry, or palpable chemistry, between George (played by Paul Rudd) and Linda (played Jennifer Aniston) in this oddly constructed film.

I found the film odd because each situation they were in was overdone. His brother, his wife and their son were characterizations of people – they weren’t real. The old hippy/or commune situation was a little far fetched as well.

The funniest moments is when George is getting ready to have sex with Eva (played by Malin Akerman) and he was practicing his conversation in front of a mirror. What was coming out of his mouth was embarrassingly funny, crude yet very humorous.

The storyline is that George works at a Wall Street financial company while Linda tries different things to find herself and to make money but she strikes out often. They buy a small studio ("No it's a mini loft”) apartment near his favorite coffee house.

Shortly after her latest attempt to sell a film concept to HBO fails and he loses his job, they have to sell the apartment they just bought for a loss. They decide to go visit his brother in Atlanta. On the way they spend a night at a commune that offers a different way of life.

This film is about their decision to try something new and to more fully find each other. Nevertheless despite the good idea, this films writing, direction and acting was sub-par.

Rudd was at his best in front of the mirror attempting to get his courage up to make love with another woman. Aniston didn’t seem to connect to or even belong in the film. It just wasn’t the right vehicle for her. Justin Theroux as Seth the community leader was certainly nothing to write home about and his see through philosophy had little grounding in anything. The only time there was some hint that he was connected to a larger universe was when he played guitar but then again any good guitarist could have play it that way. Joe Lo Truglio as Wayne spent most of his time naked, but was pretty good as this annoying person who was on his own track in the community. Alan Alda as Carvin the person who founded this commune back in 1971 was at times winkingly cute. David Wain and Ken Marino wrote this marginally adequate script but Wain wrecked the good parts with less than crisp direction.

Overall:  This film would barely make entertainment on a late Sunday afternoon on DVD or Netflix.

This Means War

First Hit: Parts of this were enjoyable but mostly it was a highly improbable mindless piece of fluff.

At the beginning of the film I questioned that the disparate parts would come together and give us a film worth watching.

Reese Witherspoon plays Lauren a woman who has an old boyfriend whom she caught cheating on her. There are two awkward scenes where she runs into her old boyfriend; both of these scenes were not required for the film.

Lauren is head of some consumer protection agency and her character loves her job. She has a friend Trish (Chelsea Handler) who is happily married and really wanting Lauren to find a lover so she posts her name and picture on a dating website.

Two CIA operatives FDR Foster and Tuck (played by Chris Pine and Tom Hardy respectively) live an incorrect and improbable wealthy lifestyle for being government agents.

Their opening scene has them doing some amazing fighting and gun slinging. Tuck responds to Lauren’s website post but then she leaves the date and runs into FDR who tries (unknowingly that she just spent time with his partner Tuck) to pick her up. Tuck and FDR find out they both want to date the same girl so now we, the audience, have the film’s premise.

The boys want to stay best friends and working partners but they both want the same girl. The film attempts to test their friendship, technology, Lauren’s resolve and love. The part that works is some of the comedy.

I enjoyed Lauren’s face as Tuck took out the entire paintball war. I thought that FDR was effectively embarrassed as his grandmother shared his youthful problem with wetting his pants.

Witherspoon is her usual lighthearted character but this film isn’t going to further her career. Pine is a good pretty boy and he did show some depth. Hardy seemed the most comfortable in his role and when he gut punched the karate instructor it was perfect. Handler was one of the more interesting characters as she kept pushing the film along. Timothy Dowling and Simon Kinberg wrote this somewhat mindless script. McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) directed this and maybe if he owned his full name he might make a fully integrated film.

Overall:  Although enjoyable this film is forgettable within a half hour after walking out of the theater.

The OSCARS and Other Notes

It is that time of season again and although this year wasn't an especially great year for films, a couple of interesting and outstanding "out of the box films" caught my eye: "The Artist", The Tree of Life" and "Melancholia".

On the other side of the coin, I'm grateful that the Harry Potter series has ended as they became painful to watch. And the Sherlock Holmes film was also very bad.

Some performances I would have like to have been honored but weren't would include: Michael Fassbender in "Shame", Kirsten Dunst in "Melancholia", Charlize Theron in "Young Adult", Carey Mulligan  in "Shame" (cannot give enough credit for her singing "New York, New York" as though she was standing on the edge of a cliff ready to fall at any moment), Christoph Waltz in "Carnage", and Albert Brooks in "Drive". 

Given the selected honorees by the academy, here are my picks for some of the categories:

• Best Picture: "The Artist"

• Actor in a Leading Role: Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"

• Actor in a Supporting Role: Christopher Plummer in "The Beginners"

• Actress in a Leading Role: Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

• Actress in a Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer in "The Help"

• Cinematography: "The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki

• Directing: Michel Hazanavicius for "The Artist"

• Film Editing: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

• Adapted Screenplay: "The Descendants" Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash

• Original Screenplay: "Margin Call" J.C. Chandor

To all of you: Thank you for coming to my site and reading my reviews. The number of views has grown tremendously over this past year. There are now over 550 reviewed films and it is fun for me to post and read your comments.

May this new year bring on better films with new ideas tested and old ones enhanced. I know I'll be there in the 5th or 6th row center ready to suspend belief into someone else's story.

May you

Be Well...

Michael

Carnage

First Hit:  This film definitely shows how easily adults slide into bad behavior when they justify their actions in the service of the protection of their children.

During the opening credits we silently see an act where there are two kids engaged in a pushing match.

Then Zachary Cowan hits Ethan Longstreet with a tree branch he’s carrying. After the credits we’re in the Longstreet’s home with Ethan’s mother Penelope (played by Jodie Foster) at a keyboard typing a statement of the event. She types that Zachary was "armed" with a stick. 

Zachary's dad Alan (played by Christoph Waltz), a lawyer, opposes the word "armed" and suggests "carrying" a stick. Standing by and supporting Penelope is her husband Michael (played by John C. Reilly), and supporting Alan is his wife Nancy (played by Kate Winslet).

This short scene defines the differences between the four people. We discover that there are four different people with differing opinions about what happened and what they should do about it. The discussion continues as it waves from one slightly off topic subject to another. Alan continues to receive phone calls during this meeting.

As the discussion continues opinions start to get stronger and anger begins to raise its ugly head. Occasionally they head back to the original reason why they are together to discuss their children’s actions but when alcohol enters the picture it becomes a story about what each thinks of the other. What didn’t work about this film is that it is unbelievable that they would have stayed together continuing to have these discussions without someone leaving.

However, the nice touches like dog barks in the background and a neighbor peeking through their door as they engage in hallway discussion, gave this a feel like it was being filmed in a real building.

Foster is the most intense and high minded opinionated of the four. Although I didn’t like her character she did it well. Reilly changed the most during the discussion. At one point he was very supportive of his wife but then blurts out that she's screwed up. Winslet was great as the quiet demur one who then, when her buttons are pushed and with a little alcohol becomes a tiger. Waltz was the most fun to watch. He’s articulate, disengaged and present all at the same time. His cell phone behavior is pointed and reflective of our current societal behavior. Yasmina Reza wrote the screenplay from the play “Le Dieu du carnage”. Roman Polanski adroitly directed this film and ensured that slowly built steam as these parents turn more behaviorally childish.

Overall: This was fun to watch as each of the characters crystallized their behavior through 18 year old single malt whiskey.

We Bought a Zoo

First Hit: Despite its obvious intentions to elicit emotions, it effectively works on all cylinders.

It is hard to think that Matt Damon can be in a bad film.

I wondered about the title of this movie and the previews that I saw had me thinking - maybe. But as he said on The Daily Show “It’s a Cameron Crowe film.” Yup, it is true and it is good.

The overall acting by everyone is top notch. Crowe got what he needed from everyone.

This film is about a Benjamin Mee (Damon) who loses his wife and is left with two kids; Dylan (played by Colin Ford) a 14 year old boy and Rosie (played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones) a 6 year old girl. They miss their mom just as Benjamin misses his wife every single day.

Benjamin gets advice and support from his very close brother Duncan (played by Thomas Haden Church) who is an accountant and has his own life struggles. Feeling stuck in their lives, Benjamin leaves the city and moves his family outside into the country by buying a rundown and soon to be closed down zoo.

Rosie is happy, Dylan is angry, Duncan is confused, and Benjamin is doing his best to find a way to let go of the memories of Katherine is wife (played by Stephanie Szostak). Running the zoo is the former zoo keeper apprentice Kelly Foster (played by Scarlett Johansson). All the zoo workers are unique in their own way and this film lets them all have their moments.

The story’s goal is to get the zoo open by July 7th and they only have a few months. This journey is one of forgiveness, letting go, letting love, hard work and the results of “giving yourself 20 seconds of insane courage”.

Damon is amazing. He brings courage, confidence, thoughtfulness, anger, sadness and laughter to his character. Ford is wonderful as the frustrated teen who is very lost. Jones is unbelievably wonderful as the wondrous daughter. Church is perfect as the supportive but ever skeptical funny protective brother. Johansson is sublime as the zoo keeper who has confidence and is looking for someone to match this. Elle Fanning as Lily was super as the open fearless girl who has a crush. The entire cast is simply wonderful and that is because of the well written story by Aline Brosh McKenna and Cameron Crowe and the perfect direction by Crowe.

Overall: This is a very good and heart-warming PG film.