Seven Psychopaths

First Hit:  A very oddly violent funny film.

Like many people I watched the funny and odd previews for this film and the result of going to see this film is that it is more violent and funnier than I anticipated.

The concept of a film being written about the film the audience is watching is not new, but the way this was done was inventive in that the scenes were near the edge of believable. They were bizarrely constructed and well executed.

The actors were the glue that made these stories work. Billy (played by Sam Rockwell) is the main character whose has a best friend named Marty (played by Colin Farrell). Marty is struggling to write a new screenplay based on a name he thinks he came up with, “Seven Psychopaths”.

But as the film moves along we see that is Billy who is coaxing this story along and Marty's job is to coalesce it into a viable screenplay. Billy also has another job, he steals dogs with Hans (played by Christopher Walken) and then when the owner posts a reward for the dog, Hans returns the dog, collects the reward.

Hans is married to Myra who has cancer and Hans gives her the money for her treatment. Billy steals a mob bosses’ Shih Tzu named Bonny. The mob boss named Charlie (played by Woody Harrelson) is very attached to his dog and he and his band of thugs are out to find and kill the thieves.

There are other oddly outstanding characters including a Vietnamese Priest (played by Long Nguyen) who is out for revenge. The downside of the film for me was that there was a whole host of gratuitous violence.

Rockwell was expertly cast. He’s great at looking and acting normal but psychopathic at the same time. Farrell is good here as well. He’s the sane one. Walken is a trip. He does this role effortlessly – great job. Harrelson is strong in this part as a gangster. It is slightly different than “Natural Born Killers” and his turn as Larry Flynt in “The People vs. Larry Flynt gave him the wherewithal to do another turn in a wheelchair in a small scene. Martin McDonagh put together a very oddly constructed and engaging script in which he directed the same way.

Overall:  Even days after watching the film I smile and chuckle with the memory playback of some of the scenes.

Celeste and Jesse Forever

First Hit:  Earnest at times while failing to state the obvious at other times. In the end it left me wanting something with more growth and substance.

This is a film about a couple who are best friends but weren’t willing to really work on making their romantic relationship work.

One of the best lines from the film, and I’m paraphrasing here, came from one of Celeste’s (played by Rashida Jones) clients, a pop star named Riley (played by Emma Roberts), “you are contempt towards people without doing any homework or knowing anything about them.”

This perfectly captured Celeste’s attitude in the film, which I disliked about her character. She was self-righteous and right. She was oblivious to the truth about her and others. Her codependent partner Jesse (played by Andy Samberg) lived in a studio behind the house they once lived in together.

His character was like a lost little boy who depended on his strong former wife to maintain him. Their friends didn’t like how they were together and actually I thought it was unreal and their private games together, like masturbating a small tube of lip-balm or baby corn was OK maybe once, but multiple times?

There were moments in this film where the point for making this film was going to stand tall, only to be dragged down by self-indulgence of the characters.

There is a good film in the subject matter, couples have to work on their friendship in a romantic relationship and vice versa, but the inconsistency of this effort mimicked my dislike for each of the characters or actors, I don’t know which.

Jones felt self-absorbed and self-righteous both as a person and character. Samberg was too weak to be the second lead. Roberts was very good as Riley the pop-star. Ari Graynor as the couple's friend Beth, did well to show and hold her contempt for Celeste and Jesse while balancing with her love for them. I also liked Rebecca Dayan as Veronica the woman who was attempting to let Jesse grow up. Her quite demeanor was one of acceptance. Jones and Will McCormack (who also was a character in the film) wrote a script that required some subtlety and balance in the characters. Lee Toland Krieger directed this mediocre film.

Overall: This film could have said a lot more than it did about the importance of couples nurturing a friendship and each other as people while embracing romance.

Hit and Run

First Hit:  Felt like it was put together in a hurry – low craftsmanship – yet it was enjoyable with a solid set of points.

Stay in the present. People can change. Forgiveness of oneself and others is important. And, how a person shows up to you now may be different from how they were in the past. I liked these points.

However, does this film make them well? Not really and that is the down fall of this film. Hit and Run is a title that is more about how the film was made than the action in film itself. Yul Perkins a.k.a. Charles Bronson (played Dax Shepard) is a man who in a witness protection program and guarded by a totally incompetent Sheriff, Randy Anderson (played by Tom Arnold).

Not sure why this character had to be this incompetent throughout the movie only to show up in the last few scenes as competent – but that is part of the problem of this film. Then you have Annie Bean (played by Kristen Bell) who is a very beautiful woman, living with Charles, and who is going to lose her job in a local college but gets a chance to head up a nonviolent communication school in LA. This causes Charles to talk about his real past, name, and why he is in a witness protection program.

Yul was once a bank robber with Alex (played by Bradley Cooper) and Neve (played by Joy Bryant) and drove the getaway car. Alex’s introduction into the film was one of the more interesting scenes of late. He loves dogs, doesn’t want them mistreated, and sees a dog who is unhappy in front of a store, makes a few comments to the owner, and from there, the violent tendencies of Alex are brought forth.

The story is about settling scores, forgiveness and making a new life. Shepard as writer, co-director and actor is obviously more than he can handle.

The film felt rushed in execution, the writing for some parts (Arnold’s and his own) was amateurish.

As an actor Shepard does not command the screen but does make other in a scene stand out. Bell is perky and refreshing but I’m not sure this was the part for her. She almost seemed out of place. Arnold was mostly unwatchable. His nervous quirkiness ended up on the screen as someone completely lost as to what to do. Cooper was actually the most interesting to watch. His relaxed way in how he expresses his violent nature in this part was very good and I liked him a lot. Bryant was OK as Alex’s sidekick who was once engaged to Perkins. Dax Shepard wrote the script and also co-directed the film with David Palmer. The script was unpolished and bumpy at times while the direction and whole feel of the film was rushed - sort of hit and run.

Overall: This mostly chase film is amateurish, however there were moments of laughter, action and wisdom.

Robot & Frank

First Hit:  An amazing well done film covering our near future with robots, family dynamics, and dementia.

Frank (played by Frank Langella) has early stage dementia. His son Hunter (James Marsden) lives 5 hours away and drives up to visit his father every weekend. It is wearing on him.

But the real message is that they weren’t ever really close and there is a obligatory feeling to Hunter’s visits. Frank’s daughter Madison (played by Liv Tyler) is traveling the world with a natural “do-gooder” sort of spirit.

Frank visits the library to get his pile of books and to also visit the librarian named Jennifer (played by Susan Sarandon). He fancies Jennifer and there is a hint of this feeling being returned. Hunter buys his father a robot that is programmed to take care of his needs, clean his house, cook his food and try to get Frank to actively use his mind to lessen the dementia symptoms.

Frank hates the robot at first but soon discovers that the robot has possibilities for him and uses the robot to assist him in taking revenge on Jake (played by Jeremy Strong), a “consultant” who is destroying the library by removing its books and making it all electronic.

The film’s setup is a wonderful way to explore our near future, the relationships between family members, how technology may provide assistance, and if technology cares (Can robots feel or sacrifice?).

Langella is sublime. I couldn’t think of a better person to be this character; part time cat-burglar, lost in the past at times, fully present at others and all the while keeping a sense of dignity and fragility. Marsden is very good as the son who cares about his father but still resents him and his childhood. Tyler is great as the daughter that just loves her dad and still remembers how to fence jewelry. Sarandon is wonderful as the librarian. Her tone of voice is perfect when she says; “you’re not allowed to be in here”. Strong is good as the guy with the role of an arrogant jerk. Peter Sarsgaard is the voice of the robot and it is mesmerizing. Christopher D. Ford wrote a superior script. Jake Schreier directed this team with the perfect tone. The leap of faith to robots of this type was perfectly believable.

Overall: Outstanding film and superbly acted by all.

Killer Joe

First Hit:  A film that rides the edge of powerful, violent and absurd.

Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) lives with his mom but, unseen, he throws her up against a refrigerator. He hates her and he wants to killer her for her insurance money which will go to his sister Dottie (Juno Temple).

Chris doesn't think anything thing through and the results of his actions surprise him. He needs money because he owes $8,000 on a gambling debt and they are out to kill him.

Dottie is oddly brilliant because she actually sees what is going on but everyone else thinks she is too sensitive and slow. Chris’ father Ansel (played by Thomas Haden Church) is even more stupid than Chris.

His responses at the end of the film to questions by Killer Joe (played by Matthew McConaughey) are priceless. Ansel is married Sharla (Gina Gershon) who cheats on Ansel and has fights with Chris. Chris and Ansel hire Killer Joe Cooper to kill Chris and Dottie’s mother for the insurance money.

The plan is to pay Joe his fee and split the remaining amongst the four of them. However, Joe requires his money up front, but decides to change his terms and to take Dottie as a retainer.

Their sensual and sexual scenes are very intensely shot. When the plot fails, Joe takes charge of the family and the scene of making Sharla suck a KFC chicken leg is grossly engaging.

Hirsch is wildly good because he moves from being foolhardy and protective with the same vigor. Temple is very strong as a girl wanting to stay innocent and grownup at the same time. Church is exceptional as a low IQ guy who just doesn’t fully see what really going on and, when lost, takes direction from others well. Gershon is good as a woman who fights for what she wants and is probably the smartest one in the family. McConaughey is fantastic as Joe. He is suave, partially sick in his actions, clear and concise in his instructions to the group as things begin to unfold. Tracy Letts wrote an interesting script. William Friedkin got a lot out of his actors and he made it edgy and oddly funny.

Overall: This is bizarre film, but its absurdity, oddly different script and powerful performances were entertaining.