Bellflower (2011)

Movie quotes:
"Dude, it’s like a James Bond car for drunks!"
- Milly

At a glance:
Writer/director/star Evan Glodell crafts a real-feel story of two slackers whose Mad Max fantasies drive their world into violence

Our review (with spoilers):
Bellflower appears to be a character study about two slackers who have a dream to create the ultimate Mad Max world around them. It seems innocent, even when they successfully build their own flamethrower. They are heavy drinkers but generally jovial, with Aiden (Tyler Dawson) using his charm to entertain the ladies, while Woodrow (Evan Glodell), simpler and seemingly sweet, gets in a pleasant relationship with Milly (Jessie Wiseman). But infidelity and a violent accident start to turn Woodrow into someone very different. Smarter people than me will probably realize earlier that alcohol, depression, and flamethrowers don’t mix, and that this may end badly. The subject matter is confronting and sometimes ugly, but there’s no denying the absolute filmmaking ability of writer/director/star Evan Glodell. How he took this hard to watch material and turned it into a film that is at times poetic and beautiful is in itself a miracle. More please!

Rating: 3 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"A daring feature debut by Evan Glodell, "Bellflower" looks like it was shot with the digital equivalent of a Brownie box camera, and generates an almost palpable aura of anxiety."
- Joe Morgenstern (Wall Street Journal)

 

Another Earth (2011)

At a glance:
Sci-fi elements combine with a story of grief in this intriguing, intellectual drama/thriller

Our review (with spoilers):
Rhoda (Brit Marling) is a sharp young woman who has just been accepted into MIT. Her whole brilliant life is in front of her. She is driving home drunk from her celebration party when she hears, on the car radio, that a new ‘blue’ planet has been discovered. As she gazes up at the sky, she crosses the road and hits another car. The occupants are Yale professor John Burroughs (William Mapother), who ends up in a coma, and his wife and child, who die. Four years later, Rhoda emerges from incarceration, a quiet and severely damaged woman. Conversely, the blue planet has thrived in the interim; it appears to be frighteningly similar to Earth in topology, and when voice contact is made, it seems that the planet is a mirror image, including duplicates of the people. Rhoda dreams of escaping to this planet on one of the manned flights that are being planned. At the same time, she tracks down the professor. Her attempt to say who she is and to apologize is botched, and instead she begins cleaning his house, slowly improving his hygiene and his level of squalor.

The core idea has been used many times before – that of the infiltrator who ‘stalks’ someone with hidden knowledge about how they are connected. But Another Earth uniquely blends drama and thriller with a dash of sci-fi in ways that perhaps have never been mixed and mashed before.

The two leads are excellent. Marling makes the intellectuality of her character believable – and that is such an important element of the story. Mapother has an undercurrent of unpredictability in the way he carries himself – Lost fans will remember how his character Ethan combined congeniality with menace in the early episodes of that series. Here, his character is different but just as effective.

Director Mike Cahill (who co-wrote with Marling) turns a small budget into a beautiful film. It has its own pace as we wade through grief, but the moments of power are effective. One minor distraction was the overuse of crash zoom, although, in a sense, this effect fits well in a sci-fi themed movie; it reminded me of the fight scenes from the Battlestar Galactica reimagining.

Major spoiler alert – do not read this unless you have already seen the film! The last scene in the film features Rhoda’s double, newly arrived from the mirror planet. What does this mean? I believe it is an indication that Rhoda was about to find out that on the mirror planet, there was a version of herself that did not crash into the car, and that John’s family – and her life – were intact there.

Rating: 3.5 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"Another Earth is a tough movie to shake off... resisting movie tactics that usually accompany such material. Using a sci-fi premise to engage a grounded, almost pedestrian story of guilt and regret is a bold stroke."
- Steve Persall (St. Petersburg Times)

 

The Hole (2009)

At a glance:
Veteran horror director Joe Dante brings his blend of scares and humor to The Hole, a modest and fun film

Our review (with spoilers):
Two brothers (Dane, played by Chris Massoglia, and Lucas, played by Nathan Gamble) discover a trap door hiding a bottomless hole in the basement of their home. Teaming up with the teenage girl next door (Haley Bennett), they attempt to discover who or what is lurking down there. But when each of them is attacked by the embodiment of their worst fear, they start to wish they had never opened that trap door in the first place.

The Hole is fun entertainment, with good performances by the three leads, and good supporting work from Teri Polo as the mom. There is even a quick cameo from Bruce Dern and an even quicker cameo from veteran horror star Dick Miller.

The Hole also has one of the cleverest reveals I have ever seen in a film: the three kids drop a video camera down the hole, then view the footage on their TV. They see a blob shape – just a shape – and are discussing that when the mom comes in. The kids turn away from the screen and explain that they are just watching TV. Meanwhile, on the screen, the blob turns to reveal a malevolent, non-human eye. The mom sees this (as does the viewer) but thinks it is just a TV program, and the kids don’t know it is there!

Veteran horror director Joe Dante laces The Hole with his classic sense of humor amid the shocks. This is a scary film, but it has a jovial mood. We are pretty sure that the three leads are not going to get killed. This is also a small film lacking big ambitions, and I mean that in a nice way. There are elements that reminded me of the expansive Poltergeist, but The Hole has no such aspirations. It is about three friends and a hole that is somehow linked to your worst fear – and that’s that. And for the most part, it is a success - except for some of the shoddy stop-motion used when various things are crawling back into the hole.

Rating:  2.75 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"Enjoyably old-fashioned horror from genre veteran Joe Dante, with a strong script, some suitably creepy sequences and superb performances from its young cast."
- Matthew Turner (ViewLondon)

 

Winter’s Bone (2010)

Movie quotes:
Sonny: Maybe they'll share some of that with us.
Ree: That could be.
Sonny: Maybe we should ask.
Ree: Never ask for what oughta be offered.

At a glance:
Authentic locations don’t make up for the feeling that this is a film meant to marginalize and compartmentalize backwoods culture for the sake of drama

Our review (with spoilers):
In the backwoods of Missouri, Re (Jennifer Lawrence) is struggling to keep her family together. She looks after her two young siblings because her mom is in a zombie state and her meth-cooking dad has gone missing. Her dad’s disappearance takes on greater importance when Re finds out that he put up the house as his bond and they stand to lose everything if he does not show up for his court date. This sends Re on a desperate search for him among distant, suspicious and menacing relatives.

Winter’s Bone feels authentic, which is no small achievement, but is this truly a realistic glimpse at backwoods culture? To me, this is an important point. If this is a true representation of life in small town / clan, it’s worthwhile to view. But if it merely dour, depressing, and indeed stereotypical just to prove that it can be, it’s a waste of time. There’s no denying that the locations are realistic, but I wonder if the personalities are. If so, in the backwoods of Missouri, no one ever smiles. Likewise, there are times when logic and reality is swept aside for the sake of drama and conflict. Characters do, at times, seem to take action to make the storyline more interesting. Why the sudden reversal of character for the woman who first has Re beaten badly just because she shows up at Thump’s house for the second time (she is still not a threat), then suddenly decides to solve everything and provide a semi-happy ending?

Writer Debra Granik is talented, but she lives in Washington DC and is not part of this world. While watching I was reminded of Prizzi’s Honor for some reason. I know that was a comedy and this is dead serious, but it has the same pigeonhole feel.

Rating:  2.75 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"Winter's Bone is one of those movies that can't quite make a distinction between profundity and plain old bleakness."
- Stephanie Zacharek (Movieline)

 

The Resident (2010)

At a glance:
Hilary Swank’s class, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s menace, and Brooklyn Bridge locations slightly lift a typical stalker thriller

Our review (with spoilers):
Juliet (Hilary Swank) breaks up with her cheating boyfriend and moves into an old but luxurious apartment, offered at a discount price by the seemingly sincere and innocent Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, a Javier Bardem lookalike). Max’s creepy uncle August (Christopher Lee) lives down the hall. August looks foreboding and Max seems harmless, but you’ve got to watch the quiet ones. Soon, it becomes evident that Max is obsessed with Juliet and moves freely in and out of her apartment, sometimes when she is away, and sometimes while she sleeps.

The Resident is beautifully photographed and underlit to good effect, except for some of the latter stalking scenes in the walls of the old building, where it’s a bit too dark to see anything at times. Shadows cast by the night sky weave sinuous tentacle of darkness into the apartment, helping the early scenes in the film to build tension. Swank is solid, and the rest of the cast is more than competent. Morgan in particular goes from innocent to evil just by changing his expression. Lee is great as always, but his role is little more than a cameo.

I don’t watch a lot of this genre of film, so I always feel at a loss to make any kind of a comparison, nor can I get a feel for what fans of the genre will think. Personally, I liked the early use of the Brooklyn Bridge locations, but I thought the buildup was much better than the payoff, but that’s because the payoff was very typical of this type of film. I felt like it was competently executed (killer stalks woman through dark area) but had little new to offer. The resolution, in particular, has been done many times before, in slightly different variations (Juliet is trapped and feverishly smashes a window, presumably to escape, before the killer catches her. The killer then enters the room and longingly gazes out the window in what is known as the ‘wait to be crept up on’ pose). It must be difficult to create something original when so many of these types of films have already been made. Also, there was a lost opportunity to focus on the killer’s dislike of technology. He mentions that he’s not part of the Twitter crowd, and this becomes evident when he spends hours in Juliet’s apartment and completely ignores the bright message on her computer stating that there are new (security) videos to view. I also must mention a weird use of flashback early on in the film: after 20 minutes, the director rewinds the entire film in fast motion to show us some hidden plot points. It seems too soon for a refresher course, although I’m sure any memory-challenged goldfish in the audience will appreciate it.

I would love to see Swank get a role that flexes her acting muscles next time, rather than just her muscle muscles.

Rating:  2.5 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"Any ambiguity and suspense is frequently stripped by writer/director Antti Jokinen's signposting of every upcoming twist and turn. This is epitomised by a supposedly revelatory and overlong flashback sequence that occurs just half an hour into the movie and contains big snippets of scenes we've already witnessed!"
- Ben Rawson-Jones (Digital Spy)

 

The Other Guys (2010)

Movie quotes:
Terry Hoitz: No, I don't like you. I think you're a fake cop. The sound of your piss hitting the urinal, it sounds feminine. If we were in the wild, I would attack you. Even if you weren't in my food chain, I would go out of my way to attack you. If I were a lion and you were a tuna, I would swim out in the middle of the ocean and freaking EAT you! And then I'd bang your tuna girlfriend.
Allen Gamble: OK, first off: a lion? Swimming in the ocean? Lions don't like water. If you placed it near a river or some sort of fresh water source, that make sense. But you find yourself in the ocean, 20 foot waves, I'm assuming off the coast of South Africa, coming up against a full grown 800 pound tuna with his 20 or 30 friends, you lose that battle, you lose that battle 9 times out of 10. And guess what, you've wandered into our school of tuna and we now have a taste of lion. We've talked to ourselves. We've communicated and said 'You know what? Lion tastes good, let's go get some more lion'. We've developed a system to establish a beach-head and aggressively hunt you and your family and we will corner your pride, your children, your offspring.
Terry Hoitz: How you gonna do that?
Allen Gamble: We will construct a series of breathing apparatus with kelp. We will be able to trap certain amounts of oxygen. It's not gonna be days at a time. But hour? Hour forty-five? No problem. That will give us enough time to figure out where you live, go back to the sea, get some more oxygen, and then stalk you. You just lost at your own game. You're outgunned and out-manned. [pause] Did that go the way you thought it was gonna go? Nope.

Terry Hoitz: Your farts aren't manly.
Allen Gamble: Are you serious?
Terry Hoitz: They sound like a baby blowing out birthday candles.

At a glance:
The Other Guys exploits the cop buddy template to produce some really big laughs, led by the deadpan delivery of Will Ferrell and the raw anger and frustration of Mark Wahlberg

Our review (with spoilers):
Two bumbling cops are teamed up, seemingly just so they can argue all the time. Allen (Will Ferrell) is happy to stay behind a desk and actually volunteers to do the paperwork for the flashier copy buddy teams. Terry (Mark Wahlberg) wants to get out there and be a star, but he’s burdened by his big mistake: while on duty at Yankee Stadium, he shot Derek Jeter, costing the Yankees the World Series. Through a complicated set of circumstances, Allen and Terry latch onto a case that could make or break their careers.

This is a gloriously mismatched buddy teaming. Ferrell gets into a serene nerd zone, while Walhberg is bottled up and seriously angry. If you know a little about Wahlberg’s past, you know that his anger is not acting – it’s behaving – and it feels genuine. And against Ferrell’s comedy deadpan, there’s something hilarious about it.

I don’t think I’ve laughed as hard in months as I did when Allen trumps Terry’s Lion Eats Tuna story with his long soliloquy detailing how he and his school of 800 pound tuna will stalk Terry’s Lion pride back up onto land using jury-rigged kelp to get oxygen. There is also a hilarious scene where Allen and his wife Sheila (Eva Mendez) compare their anal-centric how-did-they-meet story with the supposed anal-centric plot of You’ve Got Mail.

The Other Guys is not perfect. Like many comedies it cannot sustain that high laugh level, and when it gets serious in the second half, that isn’t nearly as much fun. But the laughs that are there are huge, and there’s good supporting comedy work from Michael Keaton and Steve Coogan.

Rating:  3 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"It runs out of steam in the final third but The Other Guys is constantly kept afloat by a grand cast that includes Michael Keaton as station captain Gene Mauch and Eva Mendes as Gamble's smoldering wife Sheila."
- Allan Hunter (Daily Express)

"There's a wealth of joyously berserk idiot humour, fusing slapstick and satire, surrealism and stream-of-consciousness improv into what could well prove the funniest movie of the year."
- Tom Huddleston (Time Out)

 

Winnebago Man (2009)

Movie quotes:
"I don’t want any more bullshit anytime during the day from anyone… And that includes me."
- Jack Rebney as the Winnebago Man

At a glance:
The backstory of a man whose five minutes of swear-laced out-takes from a Winnebago sales video became a YouTube phenomenon

Our review (with spoilers):
I came into this film as (apparently) one of the few people who had never heard of Winnebago Man, the angry corporate sales video star whose out-takes became one of the most famous and popular viral videos on YouTube. Some of the footage of this frustrated, cursing man is shown at the beginning of the doco, and it did nothing for me. Jack Rebney seemed like a bombastic, angry, threatening, unfunny guy who would have been hell to work with. I was unsure if it would be worth my time to continue watching his story.

Was I ever wrong. By making this film, director Ben Steinbauer changed the public perception of Jack Rebney. Without this film, he is just a man whose five minutes of over the top anger out-takes, watched to infinity, defined him narrowly. For those fortunate enough to see this documentary (or to attend the Found Film Festival on the fateful night when Jack was a special guest), Jack Rebney becomes a real man, a complex man, a man balancing the conflicting desires of audience and isolation. He is a man infuriated by his unwanted celebrity, and angered by his belief that the USA is going downhill. Yet, despite his over the top anger, he is also a man who can laugh and keep things in perspective. And although unwilling at times, he is also a natural performer. By the end of the film, Jack has changed his opinion about his YouTube fans. He now sees them as clever, intelligent people. Likewise, his fans see him as a sweet angry grandpa, and not a movie star and a caricature.

In 1988, a powerful documentary called The Thin Blue Line made me believe that there could be no greater purpose for film than to shed light on a personal story or situation. Winnebago Man has that same feel and purpose. Perhaps the story is not as important this time, although both subjects were, in a way, in prisons of sorts. But this film has its own niche of importance. As well as fleshing out Jack Rebney, it also stands as a chronicle of these strange YouTube Viral Video times we live in. Even this shall change: there will be acceptance, or so many people will purposefully create goofy videos in an attempt to gain celebrity status that these innocent, truly random videos will be a thing of the past. The documentary Winnebago Man will not let that happen. So ‘do me a kindness’, and make sure you catch it.

Rating: 3.5 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"...a terrific character study. It also airs provocative meditations on the ramifications of living our lives via media. Steinbauer accomplishes both in this thoroughly entertaining feature debut."
- Laura Clifford (Reeling Reviews)