Category: Movie Reviews

‘The Girl on a Train’: Blunt elevates material

· Leave a comment ·

**I’d like to welcome film critic Landon Burris to the Dose. He will be supplying the site with a few movie reviews to keep the ceiling from getting too dusty. He’s a guy who knows his movies and grades them with a blunt instrument. Here are his thoughts on the latest cinema treats. 

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

Movie – The Girl on the Train
Rating –  R
Runtime – 112 minutes
Directed by – Tate Taylor
Starring–  Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez, Lisa Kudrow and Allison Janney

Image result for girl on a train movie

Based on the pulpy Paula Hawkins novel that can be found at any grocery store, Wal-green’s or, appropriately enough, train station, The Girl on the Train is an adult thriller that is never as sexy or clever as it wants to be but still manages to be an entertaining, and, occasionally, affecting piece of cinema.  Carrying the film is Brit actress Emily Blunt, whose portrayal as the titular girl that likes to ride the train, Rachel, elevates the material.

Working against the film’s favor are the multiple comparisons, warranted or not, to 2014’s outstanding Gone Girl.  The Girl on the Train is the highest profile film of its sort since Gone Girl, and the similar themes and Universal’s marketing beg for the association.  However, The Girl on the Train simply does not have as clever of a script, and it’s director, Tate Taylor (best known for 2011’s The Help) is unable to deliver much more than the sterilized, squeaky clean suburban look and creates a mystery by withholding key plot details, and even then most will figure out the film’s twist before the big reveal.

Granted, the film is still quite entertaining, and its initial premise is fairly clever.  Rachel is a sad and depressed woman, who gets her kicks by watching the lives of others out the windows of a train she takes to and from Manhattan on a daily basis.  She zeroes in on the seemingly idealistic life of a couple in a beautiful home (played by Haley Bennett and Luke Evans), and is genuinely interested in what’s happening to them.  It all seems strange enough, and becomes stranger when it’s revealed that Rachel used to live two houses over from the one she’s obsessing over, where her ex-husband Tom Watson (Theroux) lives with his new wife Anna (Ferguson) and their infant daughter.

Complicating things is Rachel’s alcoholism and seeming obsession with her ex, whom she regularly calls and texts, usually during states of excessive drunkenness or even periods of blacking out.  Rachel’s life is in such shambles that she crashes on a friend’s couch and even showed up drunk at Tom’s house one night, attempting to steal his baby in the process.  However, Rachel is the film’s heroine, even as she humiliates herself and pours vodka into her water bottles, one cannot help but pity her and hope things work out.

While Blunt is never deglamorized enough to look like a truly hopeless alcoholic (though her nose is a rosy red hue for almost the entirety of the proceedings), her struggles and pain as she copes with her problems are perhaps the film’s best assets.  She’s a sympathetic character, and her connections to the film’s main mystery, where a girl Megan, the one who Rachel fixates on during her train commutes, disappears without a trace, make Rachel an unreliable and tragic witness.  That Rachel can barely remember certain events due to her intoxication certainly does not help either.

The Girl on the Train dabbles in issues and topics that are often overlooked or ignored, outside of its protagonist being a serious alcoholic, the film also touches on themes of domestic and verbal abuse, as well as women feeling like domestic prisoners.  That said, the film’s all white, privileged leads (who all, even down to Rachel, seem to have enough money to not care) and muddled story structure prevent it from being as poignant as it should be, and the film’s “shocking” conclusion borders more on camp than it does legitimate chills.  Emily Blunt’s performance and the bells and whistles of being a major studio picture keep Girl on the Train from being a Lifetime movie of the week, and the movie is not a terrible way to spend two hours in the theater, but one cannot help to think that it could have been something more.


Rating: 3/5(worth the trip)

Captain Fantastic: One of the best films of 2016

· Leave a comment ·

Is it better to be sheltered from the storm or released into the wild at birth? Writer/Director Matt Ross(you know him Silicon Valley and Big Love) gets that theory wet like a sponge and throws it against the wall in one of 2016’s most unexpected cinematic pleasures. Captain Fantastic will make you think and explore the idea of when innocence should end. It’s also brilliantly odd, inventive, and easily one of the best films I’ve seen in 2016. Good luck getting this film out of your head.

With the help of Viggo Mortenson(first film in years) and an expertly chosen cast of kids and teens, Captain Fantastic explores what it would be like to raise your family on nothing but the great outdoors. Instead of a cell phone game of candy crush or Pokemon, your oldest son would fully understand the complex music of famous conductors and recite poetry. Instead of playing with action figures, your eight year old would be able to dish her take on the Bill of Rights. A family outing would include hunting and killing a deer and engaging in a morning class of yoga and cross fit.

 

Mortenson’s Ben has raised his kids up tough and gruff in the beautiful outdoor land of the Pacific Northwest. Along with his wife, they have created a life for themselves off the grid and without the need for electronics. A knife is a kid’s favorite tablet in Ross’ world and the film creates a quirky exercise when a tragedy forces the family to join the “other world” for a funeral.

Unknown Object

Ross’ film will make you uncomfortable while making your mind divulge into deep thought about the way a child should be raised. He injects provocative theories on modern society and what triggers a child’s growth. Ross gives every voice a chance to speak in this film. Mortenson’s ideals are challenged when he is confronted with a “conventional practitioner” in his sister in law(Kathryn Hahn). When he is confronted by his father in law(Frank Langhella) for an injury to a child, the father is challenged in a completely different way. (more…)

‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ is perfect summer movie diversion

· Leave a comment ·

There are certain films that you just don’t see coming. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is one of those cinematic adventures that sweeps you right off your feet in the best way because it comes out of nowhere. It is also the emergence of young star Julian Dennison.

What’s it all about? A simple story about a couple outsiders drifting into the great outdoors in hopes of finding something worth living for. Add in a crazy counselor, some police, and a fair mix of comedy and drama and you have a quiet summer gem. Adapted from Barry Crump’s novel, writer/director Taika Waititi(who delivered the indie darling, What We Do in The Shadows) crafts a film that suits a teenager or their grandfather.

Remember Sam O’Neil? The Jurassic Park actor barely works these days but picks up the right speed of wise knowledge here playing Hector, the foster uncle of the young rebellious Ricky(Dennison). When Hector and Bella(Rima Te Wiata) adopt Ricky, they are warned that he “burns things, hits things, does bad things” and is a general nuisance to society. A modern Dennis The Menace. Is there a chance he could just be a kid who has been passed from home to home and just needs the right family to settle down? Without getting heavy, the film has a poetic stroke about the misconception of foster children. (more…)

Anton Yelchin: A fine young talent gone too soon

· Leave a comment ·

Real life is no movie. While reality can include some cinematic flair on occasion and feature characters that inspire creations on screen or influential people who actors eventually portray, the land of make believe teases us that performers only die temporarily.  They’ll come back in a different form in a different movie and thrill us again. Anton Yelchin, who died too young on Sunday due to a freak accident, didn’t waste a single second of his 27 years on Earth.

An underrated actor who will be remembered most for his role as Chekov in the new fleet of Star Trek films, Yelchin crafted a fine career for a young man. He starred in several good films and a few great ones. His innocent features built on a backbone of vulnerability that made all of his characters easy to relate to.

Yelchin burst onto the cinematic scene as the young protege to Anthony Hopkins mysterious thief in the enchanting film Hearts in Atlantis. He held his own with one of cinema’s giants at the age of 12. He would do a slew of small television roles including The Practice, Without a Trace, Curb Your Enthusiasm, NYPD Blue, Huff(David Morse played the older version of his character in Atlantis), and Criminal Minds. (more…)

‘Gleason’ trailer tugs hard at the heart

· Leave a comment ·

“That’s what dads do. They pass the best of themselves to their kids.”-Steve Gleason

Steve Gleason is known around New Orleans as a legend due to his legendary block of a punt in the first game after Hurricane Katrina decimated the city. Watching it in St. Louis and not being a Saints fan, I couldn’t help but be moved and pumped up by it. It was like he picked up the city and threw it on his shoulders when he launched himself in front of an Atlanta Falcons punt. He didn’t know years later that he would make an even bigger mark on the world. Gleason, the new documentary, documents that journey.  (more…)

‘Weiner’ documentary reviews raw side of politics

· Leave a comment ·

When in doubt, politicians shouldn’t tweet pictures of their body or text women other than their spouse. New York congressman Anthony Weiner is a living testament to that and the focus of Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s documentary, “Weiner”, about his ill-fated 2013 New York mayoral run.

Documentaries are at their best when they present a topic you know little to nothing about and suddenly make that topic explode in front of your eyes. By the end of the movie, you are craving more material and needing to know more about the subject. Before I turned on “Weiner”, I knew little about this man. By the end, I couldn’t wait to hear more or see where he was at. This is a riveting and brutally honest look at a smart man undone by painfully poor decision making. I’m not sure anyone beats Weiner in the smartest dumb politician race.

IFC Films

When we first see Weiner, he is standing up for 9/11 rescue workers in the Barack Obama health care bill that wished to stop paying those heroic men and women. Weiner is a fast talking New Yorker who stormed into politics with a vengeance only to set his own career on fire. Remember the five minutes he got in front of Congress and basically lit a Will McAvoy like forest fire in that room by calling out Republicans for turning their back on the real heroes. He was riding high until he had to step down after a picture tweeted out of his account of his crotch burned everything he built to the ground. The worst thing about it was he lied at first and then admitted later. (more…)

‘The Nice Guys’ isn’t worth your money

· Leave a comment ·

Walking into Shane Black’s new comedy detective flick, Nice Guys, I was ready for a wise cracking, hip, and easy going experience. An unofficial sequel to his 2005 sneaky hit Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The quiet beginning of the Robert Downey Jr. comeback was unexpectedly witty and hilarious, hitting all the right notes. Unfortunately, Nice Guys doesn’t hit any of its marks. It is silly, pretentious, and forgettable.

Ryan Gosling is a former cop turned private investigator who happens to be on the same case as tough guy freelance knockaround enforcer Russell Crowe and when they collide, the initial confrontation is funny. Gosling is the hapless victim and Crowe beats him up. Before two scenes can pass, the two are working the case together, looking for a missing girl who may or may not be a porn star. A State attorney(Kim Basinger) may be involved and there are others at stake as well, including Gosling’s character’s daughter.

What you see here is what you have seen in several other films. You saw it in Black’s Lethal Weapon script and the aforementioned Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Two opposites thrown together to work a case, grind each others gears, and eventually find a way to solve the case with a lot of dead bodies being dropped along the way. There’s nothing new here.  (more…)

John Wick 2: A required sequel

· Leave a comment ·

Halfway through John Wick, our hero confirms a long standing rumor. As he sits in a chair, tied up and beaten, he tells the bad guys that he is indeed back. He’s also coming back to theaters in the future to kick ass, as Lionsgate announced today that John Wick 2 will happen and it will happen soon.

In a land where action films are rarely taken seriously, John Wick came along in October last year and blazed a new trail right through the land of critics. It was adored and taken seriously at the same time while getting a little notice from the movie crowd itself. Keanu Reeves made a successful comeback and the director, Chad Stahelski and writer, Derek Kolstad, delivered something unique. A smart action movie that satisfied the old school action fanatics and the regular movie goers. Made for a modest 20 million, the film grossed 42 million and has become a cult hit on DVD and Blu Ray. It can also be appreciated on multiple viewings and for an action film to stick in one’s mind and enjoy a long shelf life, the repeat button can’t get worn down enough.

The film was huge for a number of reasons. Reeves needed it badly, as he was flailing around making poorly received Japanese action flicks and being used poorly in romantic comedies and dramas. His bread and butter was always in the mainstream action arena, such as The Matrix, Speed and Point Break. Returning to Wick and using those silent gunman abilities wasn’t just fitting but rather awesome. It helped that his stunt men for the Matrix, Stahelski, was at the helm and moving him through this story. It was more a labor of love than an easily rendered film.

The film was also special because it showed stunt performers can transcend into filmmaking and use their experience as a tool in creating a world. Wick’s world had little flavors of many classic action films and also introduced a few new ones(the dead body collectors, the Hitman hotel, etc.).  Stalhekski’s work here promises that other stunt coordinators like Dan Bradley and TV stunt guru Marcus Young can get a shot behind the camera one day. John Wick is paving the way.

The movie also included a storied group of actors, pulling in Adrianne Palicki, Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, David Patrick Kelly and the gifted Michael Nyqvist. When you give actors a certain range to play with and cool surroundings to work their gifts around in, magic can happen.

It also helped that Wick had a lightning bolt pace and 101 minutes never felt so great and quick. It went down like a well cooked double cheeseburger and fresh cut fries at your local diner. Just juicy enough to know you’ll want it again soon.

John Wick 2 will see the return of Reeves and director Stalhelski to the action and most likely McShane, Reddick and possibly Kelly along with a new batch of bad guys to take aim and fire at Wick.

He’s back and so is the celebration of wildly enjoyable action flicks. John Wick made that dragon breathe again!

Now do your due diligence and watch John Wick right now on DVD or Blu Ray. Your time won’t be wasted.

The Death of Vince Vaughn’s career

· Leave a comment ·

Vince Vaughn got a spot on the walk of fame in Hollywood last year. That’s nice and all but unless that was shit he dipped his hands into, it’s not that great of a moment. Vaughn has been churning out flops for years now, and he is 46 years old.

As a fan of his older work, he has me worried. He has either suddenly become unfunny or is making terrible career choices. His movies aren’t making money or laughs and he looks like he is trying very hard. What happened to the guy who made laugh so hard and fast in Wedding Crashers that my dad and I nearly had to leave the theater to catch our breath? He’s fucking gone and I don’t know when he is coming back.

His latest drivel, 2015’s Unfinished Business, opening to 5 million dollars in 2,777 domestic locations. That’s the kind of dough a small indie makes in several weeks or what Fifty Shades of Grey grossed in an hour. It’s pathetic because Vaughn is talented and as his character has said plenty over the years, “you’re better than this.”

What is the last official good Vaughn flick? Into the Wild in 2007, where he drew upon some of his earlier dramatic work to produce a juicy supporting role as a man who helps Emile Hirsch’s seeker along the way. The Break Up came out a year earlier and got a lot of attention due to Vaughn’s romance with his co-star Jennifer Aniston. It was a very funny film that allowed Aniston to not suck for a change and holds up well on repeat viewings(just watched it on cable last month several times). That was good comedy. Jon Favreau was there and so was Jason Bateman.

It was the end of a fantastic run for Vaughn, one that started with Old School and continued with Starsky and Hutch, Dodgeball, a great role in Mr. and Mrs. Smith and culminated with Crashers. He couldn’t miss then and was so funny. If he was able to unleash his own brand of comedy, the film was better for it. These days, his methods and madness has tamed and gone to crap. Last year’s Internship was especially sad. He co-wrote the film and helped produce it, and the result was a playful if horribly unfunny exercise that made Adam Sandler seem more appealing. The Dilemma opened to 7 million domestically.

Vaughn’s cameo in Anchorman 2, like the entire sequel itself, was overwrought and not funny. It was forced, which is the exact feeling I have when the last 8 years of his work comes to mind. What’s wrong with the guy? Being a Cubs fan always concerns me, but it could be more than that. Maybe, Vaughn likes playing the same loveable lug with a heart of gold and a smart ass mouth. Playing the same guy has suited a man like Jason Statham quite well over the course of his career. He knows exactly what he is and hasn’t strayed. Vaughn was once considered not funny enough when auditioning for Swingers due to his early dramatic work and now he isn’t funny enough to make a shitty script sing for the fans. What gives?

Vaughn may be getting a clue. He took a crucial part in HBO’s True Detective second season this summer, playing a criminal under siege. It’s television but it’s a highly regarded Emmy nominated series with loads of cinematic talent involved. It could be the starting point of something special for Vaughn, because his other 2015 release(The Peter Billingsley directed Term Life) doesn’t look too promising. After the HBO stint, Vaughn should look into a Wedding Crashers or Old School sequel or look into an indie production. Sometimes, you have to go back in order to move forward. Yeah, I just stole a Matthew McConaughey line from a Lincoln car commercial. You see the depths I’m going to in this article. It’s sad. The last chunk of Vince Vaughn’s career has been sad.

Here’s what he has coming up. The drama/comedy Term Life this year followed by roles in Brawl in Cell Block 99, The Archbishop and the Antichrist, and Hacksaw Ridge. Fuck me.

Can he recover it? Who knows. What will it take? Something that thrills us or makes us laugh will do. The good thing about the movies is a comeback story can happen at any age and the audiences is always waiting to celebrate it.

The bad news is Vince Vaughn is turning into Adam Sandler real quick. Stop it dude.

The Intouchables: A movie for Meme

· Leave a comment ·

The Intouchables reminds you how great movies can make you feel leaving the theater.  This movie reminded me of my late grandmother, Henrietta Bulus.   She loved French cinema films because they presented you with simple stories that taught you so many subtle truths about life and its quiet virtues.  French cinema is the opposite of Hollywood blockbusters, and the timing of this film’s release perfectly coincides with the madness of the theater shaking sprints of the big budget superhero alien fighting action adventures that will fill the multiplexes this weekend.  This is a simple movie with layers of poignant knowledge.

 

The Weinstein Company

The Intouchables carries the task of a sweet little vineyard, presenting the touching story of two men from completely different backgrounds that see their paths collide which produces the most unlikely of friendships.  (more…)