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The Kings of Summer

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kings of summer

Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Writer: Chris Galletta

Starring:  Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Erin Moriarty

Tomatometer: 72/61/83 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Sick of living with his miserable father, and hoping to impress his sweetheart, Kelly, Joe decides to run away from home and live in the woods.  He is joined by his best pal, Patrick, who is desperate to escape the claws of his own overbearing and unbearably annoying parents.  Somehow, Biaggio, a peculiar neighborhood kid, winds up on the team, as well.

Two Cents: Some movies are summer movies because they are released during the summer.  Others are summer movies because they celebrate the most wonderful blessing ever bestowed on a child – summer!  Not summer in terms of weather and Earth’s position in the galaxy, but summer in terms of vacation from school.  The Kings of Summer, as you may have surmised from its title, is in the latter category.

In this exquisite ode to the freedom and exploration (of nature and self) that are synonymous with summer vacation, three teenagers cause widespread panic as they courageously escape their mundane lives.  The only sad part of the movie is the fact that the main characters are so sheltered, they’ve never even heard of sleep-away camp, a modern and popular alternative to running away from home.  Sad as that may be, Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio make the most of their summer break by building a sweet “tree house” in the woods.  While living there, they encounter all the problems one might expect to befall a suburban teenager living on his own – lack of funds, lack of survival skills, and, most importantly, lack of deodorant.

Although the main characters seek freedom from their parents, that freedom is symbolic.  Not only do these kids live outside of their homes, but they live outside the pressures of teenage social life.  An athlete, a nerd, and a complete nut job become family, much like in The Breakfast Club, simply because they are together, and no one else is watching.  It’s a classic theme in teen movies, and Vogt-Roberts handles it beautifully.  I often remind myself that, were there no one on Earth but we two, Brad Pitt would consider me his best friend.

Robinson, Basso, and Arias are all solid in this film, but none stands out as a future star.  Arias is the most interesting, as he takes awkwardness to new heights, but his act probably isn’t sustainable.  Moriarty does a nice job as Joe’s love interest, but she may not end up being yours.  Nick Offerman is the real star of the movie, delivering his classic mean-spirited, dry sarcasm with incredible touch.  Megan Mullally puts her famously shrill voice to good use as Patrick’s insufferable mother.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: The Kings of Summer is the kind of movie that makes you long for your childhood.  If you’re not seduced by all the billboards and commercials hawking blockbusters this summer, find some time to see this indie.  It won’t be playing in many theaters, and it might not be out for very long, so get on your horse!

Sundae Rating: Two scoops with whipped cream

The Hangover Part III

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hangover 3 poster

Director: Todd Phillips

Writer: Todd Phillips, Craig Mazin

Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, John Goodman

Tomatometer: 21/19/88 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Alan has gone off his meds, and he’s too much for his parents to handle.  The Wolfpack agrees to shuttle Alan to a psychiatric facility in Arizona.  On the way, the boys are attacked by a criminal mastermind in search of Mr. Chow.  In order to save (white) Doug, the Wolfpack must track down their wacky acquaintance.

Two Cents: What do all great supporting characters have in common?  The word “supporting”.  In the final (please, God) installment of the Hangover series, Todd Phillips makes the grave error of attempting to turn a supporting character into a main character.  Then, in an unprecedented move that must have been sparked by a complete loss of brain function, Phillips attempts to turn an even less significant supporting character into a main character, as well.  I deserve to be punched in the face for using the following term, but I can’t think of anything more apropos: EPIC FAIL!

In The Hangover, we were introduced to Alan, one of the most hilariously clueless characters in buddy comedy history.  Zach Galifianakis’s performance was so inventive and refreshing, it set him down a career path that has, so far, been littered with discount copies of the same exact role.  In The Hangover Part III, Alan becomes the central character and, thanks to reviews like this one, Todd Phillips has finally learned what the people on Hoarders learned long ago – too much of a good thing can really suck.  Alan’s act gets very old very quickly.  As much as I love and admire Galifianakis, fifteen minutes into the movie, I found myself doing something I normally save for my private time – begging for more Bradley Cooper.

Not only does Alan take center stage in Part III, but he’s joined in the spotlight by Ken Jeong’s eccentric and thrill-seeking criminal, Mr. Chow.  In the first installment, Chow was a welcome addition to an already-stellar roster of comedic characters.  In the second, he was the kind of friend from whom you’d like to hear a story or two, but with whom you’d never actually want to spend the time it takes to hear a story or two.  In this installment, he’s just downright unbearable.

Think about some of the great supporting characters from comedy films – Carl Spackler from Caddyshack, Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder, and Farva from Super Troopers, for example.  All these classic characters were introduced to us by directors who understand that wacky supporting performances should be used like salt.  A few shakes  of salt can make a decent meal truly wonderful, but, if you let the cap fall off, the whole dish is ruined.

From the opening sequence of the film to the last, it is painfully obvious that Phillips has run out of ideas for his beloved characters.  Funny can’t be forced, and, apparently, neither can laughter.  As hard as I tried, I did not laugh out loud a single time during this movie.  You know you’ve wasted your money (luckily, I attended a half-price showing) when the big opening joke (the one that sets the tone for the entire movie) revolves around giraffes being taller than cars.  The film ends with a teaser (as every installment in a series of movies should), suggesting the possibility of a fourth Hangover movie, but let’s hope the promotional posters are truthful and “The End” really means the end.

So long, Alan Garner.  I sincerely hope we never meet again.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: You should not.

Sundae Rating: Empty cup

The Place Beyond the Pines

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Director: Derek Cianfrance

Writer: Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio, Darius Marder

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendez, Rose Byrne, Ray Liotta

Tomatometer: 73/63/83 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Ryan Gosling is a stunt motorcyclist.  As it turns out, he’s got a son.  Hoping to get himself on a the straight and narrow, Ryan decides to start robbing banks.  Makes sense.  Unfortunately for Ryan, Bradley Cooper is a dedicated (and moral) cop with a bit of an ego.

Two Cents: It’s official.  Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper are the real deal.  For The Pines, they teamed up with Cianfrance, an up-and-coming director who previously worked with Gosling on Blue Valentine.  (As you may recall, Michelle Williams earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in Blue Valentine, but many were outraged over Gosling’s snub for his.)  It’s easy to see that Cianfrance has a knack for creating incredibly deep characters and making a simple story seem monumental.  I’m willing to bet an entire bag of Doritos that he’ll be nominated for a Best Director Oscar for one of his next two films.  Of course, a director is only as good as his actors allow him to be, and Derek lucked out with his cast.

Gosling may have walked directly off the set of Drive and into the role of Luke, a dark loner of a stuntman.  His blond hair doesn’t look natural, but everything else about his performance sure does.  He has the power to make the audience fall for Luke, despite the motorcyclist’s unsavory personality.  Too bad Gosling is planning to take a break from acting.

Bradley Cooper has further solidified his position at the top of my personal man-crush list.  His talent is undeniable, and he continues to make excellent career choices.  I’m sure the third installment of the Hangover trilogy will be a bit of a pothole, but it should allow Cooper to add another hot tub to his deck.  When I first heard Cooper was doing a movie called The Place Beyond the Pines, I thought it would be more like this, but I’ll get over it.

Eva Mendes is not awesome.  But, in The Pines, she ain’t half bad.  Kudos to you, Ryan’s girlfriend.  I’m still not sure why Wardrobe didn’t provide you with a brassiere, though.

Ray Liotta, one of my favorite a-hole actors, was a very wise choice for a character that was probably originally named Ray Liotta.

Rose Byrne was the weak link in the cast, but that’s not a jab at her.  She’s been cast here, at least, in part, for her face.  She’s just not on the same talent level as the other actors.

Two of the great supporting performances were turned in by Emory Cohen and Dane DeHaan.  I wasn’t previously familiar with Cohen, but DeHaan has been building a nice little résumé for himself, most notably as Andrew in last year’s Chronicle.  (Watch it.)

A couple of infants was cast in supporting roles, but I wasn’t very impressed with their work.  I don’t foresee much stardom for either baby.  One of them actually had a very off-putting arrogance about himself, as if he’s the best baby ever.  I beg to differ.  He was an average baby, at best.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: If you’ve been waiting for the first truly impressive movie of 2013, you haven’t seen Spring Breakers.  If you’re looking for a more conventional plot line, then The Place Beyond the Pines is the movie you’ve been waiting for.  No, I don’t see it getting any Oscar nominations, but, had it been released in December, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it get some nice buzz.  It’s a simple story, but it’s got loads of heart.  You may not remember this movie two years from now, but, for a few months, you’ll be very glad you saw it.

Sundae Rating: Two scoops with whipped cream

The 85th Academy Awards – What I think

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Each year, I make an effort to see every film that earns a nomination in the Best Picture category for the Oscars.  I generally get a bit more lazy with the second-tier categories.  However, this year, an unusually high number of nominees in the acting, directing, and writing categories came from the Best Picture nominees, making my 2012 Sunday morning screenings more rewarding and a little less expensive.

While I am far from qualified to argue with the members of the Academy about a particular film’s artistic or technical merits, I believe any person who watches a movie is qualified to offer an opinion about it.  Below are the Academy’s nominations for some of the more high-profile Oscars.  I will do my best to predict the winner in each category, as well as offer my thoughts on the nominees (and the hopefuls who got snubbed) and offer my choice for each award, had I been given the power to vote.

Let’s get down to it.

(Note: “Prediction” = I think this person/picture will win the Oscar.  “Pick” = I would vote for this person/picture if I were granted a vote.)

Best Animated Feature

Nominees: Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Wreck-It Ralph

Prediction: Brave

Pick: Wreck-It Ralph

I’ll admit I haven’t done the necessary research here.  I’ve only seen two of these five movies, but they are the two heavyweights.  There’s no question this race will come down to Brave and Ralph.  Of the other three, I’d love to see Pirates, but I doubt it will get much consideration from voters.  Brave was a very good movie, with funny characters, beautiful artwork, and a dynamite soundtrack.  However, I found the plot to be weak, especially compared to the rest of Pixar’s filmography.  Having been partially raised by an Irish woman, I was rooting for this picture, but it didn’t quite resonate with me the way I’d hoped it would.  Ralph, on the other hand, blew me away.  Once I saw the preview, I had that “This is going to be awesome, but it might suck” feeling that I often get from trailers.  Luckily, only the first part of that feeling was correct.  With a complex storyline, lovable lead characters, some creative twists, and an impressive sprinkling of classic video game heroes, this movie gave me everything I want in an animated film.  Although I think most viewers would agree that Ralph was a better movie, I have a feeling that the Academy’s love affair with Pixar will carry Brave to victory.

Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay

Nominees: Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook

Prediction: Lincoln

Pick: Lincoln

None of these screenplays blew me away.  Each one has flaws, but some – especially SLP – benefitted from superb acting and directing.  The story behind Argo was so Hollywooded for the big screen that I feel a demerit is in order.  Beasts was such a free-spirited picture that I don’t think the screenplay was firm enough to warrant a victory here.  I love Pi, and I am amazed at Ang Lee’s  ability to make such an engaging movie with just one actor on screen for so much of its duration (major props to Suraj Sharma, as well); however, the magic of this movie is in the cinematography and the artistic special effects, not in the screenplay.  In my opinion, Lincoln suffered from a common flaw in “epic” movies – an overabundance of characters.  With so many people playing a role in the debate and passing of Old Abe’s cherished amendment, I feel Spielberg gave a cursory glance at too many characters and developed too few.  For example, I would have loved to see him delve deeper into the band of misfits played by James Spader, John Hawkes, and Tim Blake Nelson.  That being said, I believe Tony Kushner had the greatest challenge of this bunch – painting a realistic picture of Abraham Lincoln while covering just a fraction of the legend’s entire life – and his screenplay easily matches the others in quality, so I’d give him the nod.

Best Writing – Original Screenplay

Nominees: Amour, Django Unchained, Flight, Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty

Prediction: Zero Dark Thirty

Pick: Moonrise Kingdom

This category is packed with great nominees.  Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing any of these screenplays take home the statuette.  Still, only one can win.  I honestly believe that Django would have been a shoe-in had Quentin Tarantino not decided to add about 20 extra pages once production had begun.  The final few scenes in the otherwise extraordinary film were all about QT, not the story.  Plus, I think we’re all getting over his overindulgent dialogue.  I love QT’s movies, but I think, with this picture, he got carried away with leaving his fingerprints on the final product.  The Academy respects Tarantino, but they’re scared of him.  For that reason, I believe he will be beaten out by Mark Boal, yet again.  (Note: Boal won the Oscar in this category for The Hurt Locker the same year Tarantino had a great chance with Inglourious Basterds.)  I enjoyed Flight, and the screenplay was sharp, but I feel it was the least groundbreaking of the group.  Amour was a beautiful movie, but I think the direction and acting were more impressive than the screenplay itself (even though the writer and director are one and the same).  My choice would be Moonrise Kingdom.  Wes Anderson has such a distinct style, yet he always finds new worlds to explore.  The way he blends humor with whimsy always impresses me, and this movie was no exception.  He made a simple story feel like an epic romance, simply by placing the viewer in a world that revolves completely around his two lead characters.  I don’t think he has a real shot at winning, but the nomination definitely shows how much the Academy appreciates Anderson and his unique storytelling skills.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees: Amy Adams, Sally Field, Anne Hathaway, Helen Hunt, Jacki Weaver

Prediction: Hathaway

Pick: Hunt

The supporting actress category is often chock full of great nominees, even more so than the lead actress category.  Hollywood still writes for male leads, which means the best female roles are often supporting those male leads, not replacing them.  This year, there are some big names fighting for this award.  Jacki Weaver, the least famous of the group, was great in SLP, and she helped complete a record-tying sweep of acting nominations for that film, but she was faced with a tough challenge, having to share the screen with three nominated (and arguably more talented) movie stars.  She definitely got drowned out a little, and voters won’t be willing to honor her over her three more deserving costars.  Amy Adams played a perfectly sweet/creepy puppet master in The Master, but she just doesn’t seem to be getting much buzz, mostly because voters fell out of love with her film after a relatively early release.  Sally Field fought tooth and nail to land the role of Mary Todd Lincoln (who was actually much younger than Abe), and she did a splendid job.  I do think she came across as a bit more loony than Spielberg may have expected, but, for all I know, her portrayal of the First Lady was spot-on.  If the other award shows hadn’t been so obsessed with Hathaway, I’d predict Field as the winner.  Speaking of Hathaway, she certainly made the most of her screen time.  Neither her acting, nor her singing blew me away, but she did stand out as the best singer in a film that was cast based on acting ability more than anything else (I feel Eddie Redmayne was the second-best singer of the bunch).  For some reason, Academy voters seem to be overly impressed with Les Misérables as a whole, and Hathaway’s performance in particular.  My vote would go to Hunt, who amazed me in The Sessions, a movie that deserved far more recognition throughout awards season, in my opinion.  She inhabited her role with complete dedication and reckless abandon (in a good way).  Basically, I think Hunt’s performance required far more bravery than those of the other nominees, and she truly nailed it (pun not intended).

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees: Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones, Christoph Waltz

Prediction: Jones

Pick: Waltz

This is one category that is bothering me.  I didn’t think TLJ’s performance was even nomination-worthy, yet it looks as though he’s going to win an Oscar for it.  I would have replaced him with Dwight Henry, who was the true star of Beasts, Javier Bardem, who terrified me in Skyfall, or John Goodman, who turned in two great supporting performances this year, the better of the two being his turn as Denzel’s best buddy in Flight.  Furthermore, I thought James Spader out-performed TLJ in his own movie.  Alan Arkin was very funny in Argo, but it was nowhere near his incredible (and Oscar-winning) performance in Little Miss Sunshine.  PSH was awesome, as usual, but The Master lost so much of its prestige too early in the awards season process.  If anyone else has a shot to win this category, it’s De Niro.  He was fantastic in SLP, and surprisingly un-De Niro, as well.  I would be more than happy to watch RDN accept his first Oscar in over 30 years, but there’s just too much Lincoln love out there.  I hope I’m wrong.  Christoph Waltz turned in one of the few performances this year that had me jumping out of my chair.  In Django, he was equal parts hilarious, bad-ass, and manipulative.  He somewhat reminded me of a funny Hannibal Lecter, or, more accurately, a more lovable version of his own character in Basterds.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees: Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhané Wallis, Naomi Watts

Prediction: Lawrence

Pick: Riva

Jennifer Lawrence has pretty much won every other award, so it’s a safe assumption (yet, not a certainty) that she will take home her first Oscar for her performance in SLP.  She was superb, and she continues to make a name for herself as one of the most believable actresses in Hollywood.  Considering this less-than-stellar crop, I can’t fault anyone for voting for Katniss.  Jessica Chastain is Lawrence’s closest competition, and it would be nice to see ZD30 win a major award (possibly, in addition to Best Adapted Screenplay).  However, I feel that Chastain’s character played a passive role in her own story.  She wasn’t the one doing the torturing, she was rarely doing the interrogation, and she didn’t invade the house.  While she helped moved the story along, I don’t feel Chastain truly carried the movie.  Wallis made an incredible debut in Beasts, but the film was very loose, leaving a lot of room for Wallis to just be what I imagine is herself.  She also benefitted greatly from playing opposite an inspiring performance from Dwight Henry.  Until last week, I would have picked Watts in this category.  She was incredible as a victim of the recent tsunami in Thailand.  She possesses the incredible ability to make filth look beautiful.  She carried the underrated The Impossible, and elevated a wonderful performance from Tom Holland, who played her character’s son.  However, last week, I finally saw Amour, and Riva blew me away.  She was able to portray an elderly woman in failing health with grace and a sense of humor.  That can’t be easy.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Nominees: Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, Denzel Washington

Prediction: Day-Lewis

Pick: Day-Lewis

This category is expected to be a one-horse race, and I don’t have a problem with that.  DDL is such a phenomenal actor, and he so rarely accepts a role, that we are practically conditioned to give him Oscars simply as a token of thanks for gracing our screens with his face.  He certainly was in top form playing President Lincoln, carrying an otherwise underwhelming movie.  He deserves this award, and I’m fairly certain he’ll get it.  That being said, there were two other fantastic performances in this category.  Phoenix perfected the tortured antihero in The Master, and Cooper completely changed the trajectory of his career in SLP.  (In fact, Cooper’s performance, coupled with the belief that his interview with James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio was the most honest and enjoyable in the series’s storied history, have stoked a rather impassioned man-crush within me.)  Denzel was Denzel, which is always a good thing, but I think we’re past giving him awards for playing the same character so often.  Hugh Jackman’s nomination doesn’t sit well with me.  He was great for the first couple of songs in Les Mis, but once his hair grew in, he started to mail it in.  In his scenes as an ex-con, he showed passion, and his eyes were filled with rage, but all that (as well as his ability to sing on-key) disappeared once Valjean became a proper gentleman.  I definitely would have replaced Jackman with John Hawkes, who flat out mesmerized me in The Sessions and might have even gotten my pick for the win, had he been nominated.  I consider Dwight Henry’s to be a supporting role, although I would have been fine with his inclusion in this category.

Best Director

Nominees: Michael Haneke (Amour), Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Steven Spielberg (Lincoln), David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Prediction: Spielberg

Pick: Russell

Lee made a gorgeous movie, and I hope it wins a bunch of artistic Oscars, but i don’t see him pulling off an upset here.  Haneke’s movie had the most heart of any in this group, and the acting was superb, but it was a little slow for American audiences, so he won’t be taking home any hardware.  I was happy to see Zeitlin earn his first nomination, as he made a first-rate film with a tiny budget.  Although, if I had to replace one nominee in order to squeeze a very deserving Ben Affleck into this category, it would probably be Zeitlin.  Affleck’s snub is likely the most egregious mistake made by the Academy this year (with Hawkes’s snub close behind).  It may have been caused by the collective assumption, among voters, that Affleck was guaranteed a nomination and, therefore, didn’t need to have his name written on each Academy member’s ballot.  Either way, he has been dominating awards season, which may provide him some bit of comfort.  Spielberg made a technically sound film, but I think DDL’s transcendent performance made it look better than it is.  While I didn’t love Lincoln, Academy voters seem to.  Plus, most of the voting members in the directing category love to show their allegiance to “old Hollywood”, and I think Spielberg has at least one foot on that side of “old”.  Had he been nominated, I may have picked Affleck, and I would have considered Kathryn Bigelow, as well, but of the actual nominees, Russell gets my vote.  SLP is a very good movie, but the acting is phenomenal.  It’s actually the first movies since 1981 (Reds) to earn a nomination in all four acting categories, and I think much of the credit has to go to Russell, especially since so many of the actors (Cooper, De Niro, and Chris Tucker, especially) were playing against type.  

Best Picture

Nominees: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty

Prediction: Lincoln

Pick: Argo

Lincoln is riding full steam ahead into Oscar season, and it will most likely dominate the major categories at the Academy Awards.  Expect Spielberg, along with his cast and crew, to be celebrating the biggest win of all on February 24th.  I won’t go through each film’s chances, as, frankly, there are far too many nominees, but I will point out a few snubs.  Since there are only nine films nominated, I would have loved to see The Sessions sneak into the tenth slot.  I was surprised that film did not get more love from the Academy.  Another film that is nomination-worthy, in my book, is Skyfall.  More than just a Bond movie, Skyfall was a fast-paced, intelligent thriller with a stellar cast and a killer soundtrack (Adele’s “Skyfall” is a lock for Best Original Song).  No doubt, Argo will get a few sentimental votes, as voters revolt against the fools who didn’t nominate Affleck (themselves), and it’s actually been gaining steam with a nice haul at other awards shows, but Lincoln has captured the hearts of voters in many artistic and technical categories.  The same cannot be said for Argo.  I originally thought ZD30 had a good shot at this award, but once Bigelow got dissed in the directing category, her film’s chances dimmed.  Plus, any pity votes she may have garnered have already been cast in support of Affleck’s cause.


Good luck to all of the contenders, and thank you all for taking a few minutes to read through my insignificant musings on the 85th Academy Awards!