This is not a typical posting for my site, and I certainly would not post a 19 minute video if I did not believe these words need to be heard by as many people as possible. In May 2014, Naval Admiral William McRaven delivered a concise speech filled with wisdom and real-world (not political) advice for the graduating class of The University of Texas in Austin. Yes, I am a UT alum, but that has little to do with why I believe Admiral McRaven’s message is important. In fact, a tip of the cap to reader Doug Beck (Oklahoma roots and all) for making me aware of this. I hope you will take 19 minutes for the message, and be inspired to pass along to others.
**NOTE: If you are a subscriber, the link to the video may not show up on the email version. You can go directly to my site https://moviereviewsfromthedark.com/ or to YouTube and search for “University of Texas 2014 Commencement Address – Admiral McRaven”
Greetings again from the darkness. Sometimes it’s nice to to just sit back and enjoy a pretty simple and familiar story with (mostly) likable people and an uplifting message. Don’t worry, I’m not going soft on movies … it’s just that I found this little movie made me laugh and smile, and despite the formulaic approach (it plays like a sports movie) it made me care what happened to the characters (even though there was never any real doubt).
Jon Favreau plays Carl Casper, the chef at a swanky L.A. restaurant owned by Dustin Hoffman. When a powerful food critic (Oliver Platt) is headed their way, chef and owner butt heads like the true artist and bean-counter they are. The Chef wants to wow the critic with a unique meal, while the owner wants to stick to what’s been filling seats for a decade. Guess who wins? Once the Chef’s public berating of the critic goes viral on social media, the soul-searching begins. Our hero soon learns that all phases of life – including parenting and cooking – work out much better when passion and full attention are in place. The film is a not so subtle reminder to all of us that our attitude determines our altitude (thanks to Zig Ziglar).
This is a remarkable cast, many of which appear on screen for only a short time. The Chef’s lead assistants are comprised of Bobby Cannavale and John Leguizamo. The maitre’d is Scarlett Johansson. Chef’s ex-wife is played by Sophia Vergara, and her other ex-husband is Robert Downey Jr in a hilariously mind-muddling scene. Amy Sedaris has a funny scene as the fast-talking publicist and comedian Russell Peters plays a photo-happy Miami Beach cop. Even Emjay Anthony, as the young son Percy, has some nice moments.
Mr. Favreau has had a remarkably varied film career as a writer, director, producer and actor. He wears all of those hats here. It’s clearly a personal project for him and he wears it well, though a bit of script tightening could have elevated the film a notch. You might remember him from writing and starring in (with Vince Vaughn) Swingers in 1996, and of course, he more recently directed colossal blockbusters Iron Manand Iron Man II. It’s been quite a career, and it’s nice to see him take on the smaller, more personal projects again.
The best “foodie” movies I can recall are Mostly Martha(2001), Eat Drink Man Woman(1994) and the animated classic Ratatouille (2007). This latest culinary comedy from Favreau definitely holds it’s own, and gives us an exceptional soundtrack and road trip from Miami to New Orleans to Austin and back to LA. My only wish was that the language had been toned down for a PG-13 rating so that more families could enjoy it together.
SEE THIS MOVIE IF: a low-budget, star-studded, charming, funny road trip foodie movie with father-son bonding is just what you need in the midst of blockbuster summer season.
SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: a fluffy comedy utilizing the gimmickry of superstars in brief roles is too lightweight for your movie tastes.
Greetings again from the darkness. In this day of 3 minute trailers that give away the best gags, if one can walk out of a comedy having laughed a few times, it must be deemed a success. Such is the case with this sequel to 21 Jump Street(2012), which was borne from the 1980’s hit TV show of the same name.
A couple of years ago, officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) went undercover at a high school to bring down drug dealers. This time, they head to a local college for the same purpose. If that sounds like a re-tread, at least the film acknowledges such. In a scene with Nick Offerman, a few minutes of self-parody are devoted to the misgivings of re-do’s … even with double the budget! Co-directors (back from the first, and fresh off The Lego Movie) Phil Lord and Christopher Miller make this film the butt of its own joke, and for the most part, that approach works.
The best buddy comedies work because of two things: the script and the rapport of the leads. The pairing of Jonah and Tatum works very well, even when we get the predictable split into liberal arts and sports (take a stab which actor gets which assignment). There are a couple of actresses who play vital supporting roles – Amber Stevens as Schmidt’s love interest, and Jillian Bell in an offbeat and quite funny take as the nemesis. Oddly enough, Jenko’s relationship is a bro-mance on the football team with the QB played by Wyatt Russell (Kurt and Goldie’s son). One of the poor decisions was to quadruple the screen time for Ice Cube … his antics are funny in more limited doses. Very limited.
There are some terrific “old man” jokes, more than 25 songs, and references to Maya Angelou and Tracy Morgan … both who have been in the news for less-than-uplifting reasons lately. Most will find the best sequence to be after the movie ends and before the credits begin. The mock sequels (23 Jump Street, 24 …) appear in rapid fire mode with a couple of cameos and some creative “schools”. While the movie wobbles between spot on and over-the-top, it delivers what we expect … a funny enough sequel to a funny enough tribute movie.
**NOTE: this sequel offers up a Richard Grieco cameo rather than the Johnny Depp cameo from the first one
SEE THIS MOVIE IF: mindless comedy hits the spot during the summertime OR you enjoyed 21 immensely and have been anxiously awaiting 22
SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you are expecting another Johnny Depp cameo OR Ice Cube yelling and scowling is an annoyance you prefer to avoid
Greetings again from the darkness. One of my movie review rules is about to be broken. Typically I don’t judge movies based on the filmmaker’s gender, but there is a good reason to do so this time. Writer/director Gillian Robespierre delivers an extraordinary film that avoids the extremes we have come to expect: the “shock for shock’s sake” of HBO’s “Girls” and the fantasy world of glamour and shoes of Sex and the City. Instead we get an authentic look at a lead character that seems like a woman we might actually know.
Based on Ms. Robespierre’s popular 2009 short film of the same name, this one features a brilliant collaboration with Jenny Slate whom many will recognize from “Saturday Night Live“. Ms. Slate brings a grounded, believable quality to both the stand-up sequences and the struggling Brooklyn 30-ish woman’s clunky transition into adulthood. This story works because we like Donna (Slate’s character), we empathize with Donna, and we root for Donna.
You may have heard this referred to as “the abortion comedy”. While it’s common to apply simple labels to movies, this seems to be a case of mistaken identity. Absolutely there is humor present – Donna’s hobby is stand-up comedy. And yes, the decision to have an abortion is a key element in the script … but there is also a strong Rom-Com element, a study in friendship, a look at relationships, a peek at the bond between adult kids and their parents, and the ever-present struggle between independence and the hope for true love. Much is happening here, and most of it is handled exceptionally well.
The film kicks off with an uncomfortable foul-mouthed stand-up segment from Donna. While I have never been a fan of fart-poop-pee humor, it’s our introduction to her thought process and how she uses her own life as subject matter, creating a kind of self-therapy. Soon thereafter, we witness a most unorthodox break-up between Donna and her boyfriend. This is followed by lots of wine consumption, blind support from her friend Nellie (played by Gaby Hoffmann – all grown up since her time as the young daughter in Field of Dreams), and a drunken fling with ultra nice guy Max (Jake Lacy from TV’s “The Office“). Their “date” includes pretty much everything except a condom, which leads to the abortion story line.
Handled with dignity and frankness, Donna’s decision is one faced by many women. It’s a part of life and receives straightforward treatment (save one questionable joke). The real joy here is not just how the story focuses on a female character, but that it’s told from the female perspective … two rarely seen approaches from Hollywood. The dialogue rings true and the clichés are minimal. There is even a nice guy to offset the big jerk!
The closest comparison I can come up with is Knocked Up, which was much more concerned with generating laughs, and treated abortion as a taboo topic, rather than a real life decision. Donna’s parents are played by Richard Kind and Polly Draper, and both add an element of realism and love that rings true. David Cross and Gabe Liedman have interesting and funny support roles as well. But understand that this movie belongs to Jenny Slate and especially director Gillian Robespierre, two very strong and talented women who just upped the standard for filmmaking … not just female filmmaking.
**NOTE: yes that is Paul Simon‘s 1991 song “The Obvious Child” that plays during the Donna and Max “date”
SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you need proof that a women’s perspective on screen can be interesting and ring true OR you want to see the works of two up-and-coming voices in Jenny Slate and Gillian Robespierre
SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you are looking for some massive political diatribe on the abortion topic
Greetings again from the darkness. The continuing evolution of how we watch TV and movies will open up some opportunities for projects such as this 63 minute film from writer/director Justin Reichman and co-writer Pete Friedman. It’s too long to be a short film and too short to be a feature, but the run time provides sufficient character development and story line.
With the exception of Mark Blum (Desperately Seeking Susan), the cast will be unknown to most. I was most impressed with Sean Patrick Reilly, who looks like a cross between Mark Strong and Justin Theroux. His role as the domineering Steve is the juiciest in the film, and he avoids over-reaching. In fact, it’s quite impressive how the entire cast plays it straight, with no apparent scene-stealing attempts.
The story takes full advantage of double and triple-crosses and some nasty personal and professional deceptions. The two high dollar escorts and special friends are played by actresses with distinctive Hollywood bloodlines. Genevieve Hudson Price plays Jaine (Park’s wife). She is the daughter of Richard Price, the screenwriter for films such as The Color of Moneyand Ransom. Alesandra Assante has a smaller, but effective role as Barbs. She is the daughter of actor Armand Assante. Catherine Curtin provides an interesting take on Steve’s fed up wife.
The fun as a viewer stems from trying to keep up with the twisted plots of revenge and comeuppance. While it’s certainly not Hitchcock, if this is the type of “little” projects we can expect in the new world of on-demand and direct to cable movies, movie lovers will be satisfied.
Greetings again from the darkness. Having not read John Green’s book, and missing his targeted demographics by gender and a few decades, the narrator’s very early criticism of my favorite teen movie Say Anything …had me quickly questioning whether I was going to make it through this one. The greatness of Shailene Woodley soon won me over and I was all in.
The story revolves around a teenage girl named Hazel (Woodley) who was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and has remained alive and active thanks to an experimental drug. She is an exceptionally perceptive girl and carries the burden of worrying about how (or if) her parents (Laura Dern, Sam Trammell) will carry on after her death. She attends a teenage support group to keep her parents happy, and bumps into a friendship with a spirited young man named Gus (Ansel Elgort) … a self-labeled one-legged 18 year old virgin cancer survivor.
You guessed it … this is a tear-jerker. But it’s even more of a love story. Specifically, it’s a story about the joy in finding someone to love. While the cancer is ever-present, it’s the love story that captures our interest. When the story veers from that, it suffers. The trip to Amsterdam and the segment with Willem Dafoe seems out of place until even that is eclipsed by the final scene at the Anne Frank house. I understand the point, but it struck me as forced emotions … in a movie that was not lacking emotion.
Regardless of all of that, the reason to see this is the genius of Shailene Woodley. Neither she nor Elgort are real life teenagers, but they perfectly capture the adorable balance between awkward and witty. Woodley’s range is staggering (The Descendants, The Spectacular Now, Divergent) and she and Jennifer Lawrence should be blessing us with their talent for many many years to come.
Director Josh Boone benefits not just from the presence of Woodley, but also the screenplay, co-written by Scott Neustadler and Michael H Weber who also co-wrote both (500) Days of Summerand The Spectacular Now. Their feel for dialogue and budding relationships is spot on, delivering a level of respect to both sexes. This film is very sweet and filled with grace, and tainted only by the saccharine musical choices and the Amsterdam sequence.
SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you want to follow the career of the amazingly talented young actress Shailene Woodley OR you are due for a good tear-jerker OR you need visual proof that a Rik Smits jersey plays a vital role
SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you believe summer movies should be filled with special effects and big budget actions and superheroes and mutants and aliens.
Greetings again from the darkness. Director Doug Liman is best known for his fine work at the beginning of the “Bourne” franchise. His latest has so many obstacles to overcome, a tip of the cap is in order for a thriller that isn’t altogether without merit.
These obstacles include such things the all too familiar sub-genre of alien-invasion, an overload of special effects, a familiar actress in an unfamiliar action-hero role, and above all others, the casting of the divisive Tom Cruise … whose detractors will certainly get a kick out of the nearly endless stream of on screen deaths his character experiences. After all, what’s more fun than bashing Cruise over and over and over again? On the plus side, the special effects are very well done; Emily Blunt (despite being the best tanned Brit ever) more than holds her own; and the role allows Tom Cruise to do the two things he does best: incredible stunts and action sequences, and transform from cocky d-bag to dependable, highly competent icon. Without much thought, it’s pretty easy to see the similarities to his characters in Top Gun, Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Men, and The Color of Money… and of course, his recent outing in Oblivion. There is also a convenient excuse for Cruise to lose his battle helmet, an unnecessary segment of him riding his motorcycle, and of course, the patented Cruise sprint is on display.
The movie itself begs for the obvious comparison to Groundhog Dayand Source Code, with elements of Aliens, District 9, and The Matrix. Despite all the familiarity, this one kind of works thanks to the screenplay of Christopher McQuarrie (3 other Cruise movies) based on the 2004 novel from Hiroshi Sakurazaka entitled “All You Need is Kill”. Why the Producers chose this generic, daytime soap opera type title over the cool source material title is beyond me.
Cruise especially takes to the first half comedic moments, and that explains why the first half of the movie is much stronger than the second. The phrase “On your feet, Maggot” takes on the the Sonny and Cher role from Groundhog Day, and to great effect. Supporting work from Noah Taylor, Brendan Gleeson, and (a gleeful scene chewing) Bill Paxton add sufficient distraction from the heavy action moments.
So whether you enjoy special effects, intense action scenes, or just watching Tom Cruise get killed time and time again, you will probably find this one entertaining enough … even though not much will stick with you a day later.
SEE THIS MOVIE IF: big budget Sci-Fi action movies on the big screen are your thing OR you can find humor in a Tom Cruise character being killed off over and over and over again … purely to advance the plot!
SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you consider alien-invasion movies to have reached the saturation point
Greetings again from the darkness. A favorite at some film festivals, this little film starts off very strong and captures our attention with the odd, yet fascinating dynamic between mother (Lili Taylor) and adolescent son Atticus (newcomer Silas Yelich). She commits much of each day to making sure her son learns the skills to be self-sufficient. Their borderline off-the-grid minimalist lifestyle has her also teaching him history (the anti-rent wars in the Catskills) and music appreciation. This is definitely not Hanna (2011), where the parent teaches the kid to be a cold-blooded assassin. Instead, this parenting approach is grounded, earthy and independent.
Teasing a theme of The State vs The Individual, the story suffers once untreated diabetes removes mom from the picture, leaving Atticus to fend for himself. Having Atticus meander aimlessly through the forest makes some sense given his background, but the story loses all focus at this point. Unfortunately it doesn’t really regain traction when Atticus latches on to the free-spirited hippie Carter (Peter Scanavino). Carter becomes a quasi-father figure and big brother, but his endless stream of screw-ups can’t be offset by his hand-crafted jewelry. He attempts to sell the goods at hippie festivals seemingly designed for pot smoking and skinny dipping.
With this beautifully photographed film, writer/director Tom Gilroy could have used a bit more attention to the script. The mother-son story easily could have lingered longer, and the Carter-Atticus story needed a bit more direction – more than just making the point that Carter has mostly good intentions. Young Silas Yelich looks really good on screen, but is given little to do, so we aren’t sure what to expect with his future work.
With some elements of Mud (2012) and Running on Empty(1998), the early look and feel of the movie gets us set up for a nice indie treat. Unfortunately, the script lets us down in the second half.
Greetings again from the darkness. Changing traditional thinking is not easy, but filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig gives it her best shot. The main theme here is that the obesity crisis is getting worse because we are not looking at the problem correctly.
All calories are not created equal, so Energy Balance (calories in equal calories burned) is a flawed theory. This messes with our eat less and exercise more mantra. The real bad guy here is sugar – in all forms. We learn that the food industry is adding all types of sugar to all types of foods (as much as 80% of grocery store items). We know the dangers of corn syrup, and soda certainly gets some blame, but we get “tricked” with many other foods … especially those in school cafeterias.
Narrated by (Producer) Katie Couric, the film gets a boost from such well known types as Bill Clinton, Tom Harkin and Michael Pollan. The film doesn’t let Michelle Obama off the hook. It explains how her initial “Let’s Move” campaign was designed to help us eat better, but has been repositioned by the food industry lobbyists to promote exercise for kids, rather than proper diet. More detail on this would have been welcome.
There is no shortage of other experts or sobering statistics. One of the most fascinating was 40 out of 43 lab rats preferred sugar water to cocaine. The point is that a powerful sugar addiction can happen quickly and it causes our bodies to crave the foods that make us fat. Those same foods will not have daily requirements of sugar listed, because if they did, most servings would be over 100%.
So while the food industry is the clear target, the burden falls to each of us to better understand the negative impact of sugar. The Type 2 Diabetes statistics are stunning. Break your soda habit and learn what makes up the food you are eating. Don’t wait for the government to save you.
Greetings again from the darkness. Alexander Payne’s 2004 hit Sideways made wine tasting and discussion a fun thing to do with friends, and U.S. wine tours exploded. In the movie, Miles (Paul Giamatti) is quite knowledgeable and opinionated on wine. However, comparing Miles to the real life characters in the Somm documentary is like comparing the boys of The Sandlot to major leaguers … it’s not even close!
Filmmaker Jason Wise follows four guys as they prepare for the nearly impossible-to-pass Master Sommelier exam. The certification has been around for 40 plus years, and less than 200 applicants have actually passed. We get to know the four who are studying so diligently by watching them interact and even talk to the camera. The competitive nature is on full display through the trash-talking and emotions that are evident through each disagreement. Mostly we witness the enormous stress that comes from working so hard for a single shot … the best comparison I can make is that of an Olympic athlete preparing for their single event.
We also meet Fred Dame, the Godfather of U.S. Master Sommelier. He trains through intimidation and seems to carry the burden of exclusivity in every interaction. Yeah, he’s kind of jerk, as are the four vying for the certification. It seems one must be self-absorbed and borderline ego-maniacal to build the knowledge and fine-tune the palate necessary to have a shot at passing.
The exam is broken into 3 parts: Blind wine tasting, Theory, and Service. The wine tasting segments are most fun to watch as we quickly learn there is a skill, a science and some luck involved. Through a sniff and a sip, they must be able to identify the type of wine, the subtle flavors, the age of the wine, the country of origin, the specific region, and even the level of winery. The theory section involves knowing wine history from all over the globe. This is accomplished through endless hours of reading and flash card drills. The Service portion gets the short straw here, but we do get a taste of the outlandish nature of a game whose sole point seems to be humiliating the participant.
To add another touch of legend, we do get some insight from Bo Barrett, the legendary California wine maker profiled in the movie Bottle Shock. Mostly though, we learn that this most prestigious designation can only be obtained through an elitist Obsessive-Compulsive approach that kills all sense of acceptable societal manner. For most of us, enjoying a glass of wine with friends is reward enough … for you others, best of luck learning the 3000 grape varietals in Italy.
This is not a typical posting for my site, and I certainly would not post a 19 minute video if I did not believe these words need to be heard by as many people as possible. In May 2014, Naval Admiral William McRaven delivered a concise speech filled with wisdom and real-world (not political) advice for the graduating class of The University of Texas in Austin. Yes, I am a UT alum, but that has little to do with why I believe Admiral McRaven’s message is important. In fact, a tip of the cap to reader Doug Beck (Oklahoma roots and all) for making me aware of this. I hope you will take 19 minutes for the message, and be inspired to pass along to others.
Posted by David Ferguson 
Movie Reviews from the Dark 