Nice Guy Johnny

Nice Guy Johnny
"Johnny Rizzo, is about to trade his dream job in talk radio for some snooze-ville gig that'll pay enough to please his fiancée. Enter Uncle Terry, a rascally womanizer set on turning a weekend in the Hamptons into an eye-opening fling for his nephew. Nice guy Johnny's not interested, of course, but then he meets the lovely Brooke, who challenges Johnny to make the toughest decision of is life."

3.5 Stars

How many marriages happen just because two people are in a relationship and they are at the age where they're supposed to get married?  The answer may differ for everyone, but I tend to think it happens a lot more than people would like to admit.  This seems to be the case for Johnny Rizzo (Matt Bush), an aspiring Sportscaster with a late night sports talk radio program in Oakland, CA.  He's torn between doing what makes him happy, and pleasing a demanding fiance.  On a weekend in New York to interview for an unbelievably boring job as a warehouse manager for a cardboard company, he is (to a certain degree) kidnapped by his womanizing Uncle Terry (Ed Burns) who appears to be sleeping with every unhappy housewife East of Montauk.  Uncle Terry seems to say the things that most of us may dismiss as crude, but secretly admit they hold some validity.  Whether he's acting off of actual perception or not, Terry makes is his mission to make Johnny truly question if he wants to get married, or if he's just doing it because everyone else expects him to.  As much as Johnny tries to be dismissive of Terry's initial attempts, his resolve is slowly eroded away until he isn't sure what he really wants.

Enter Brooke (Kerry Bishe) playing the free spirited tennis instructor to the rich who clearly represents the opposite of Johnny's overbearing fiance.  The story does suffer a little here because the two female characters are written, to an extent, as cliches.  Johnny's fiance is selfish, materialistic, and almost completely without redeeming qualities.  Brooke, on the other hand, is beautiful, fun, and much more supportive of Rizzo following his dream.  But the cliches can be forgiven because of the genuine performance put forth by Bush and Bishe.  I had seen Kerry in her last season stint as the lead role on Scrubs, and I really respected her comedic mettle, but Brooke seemed to be a much more complete character.  One of the first problems I had with the romance was the height difference between Brooke and the diminutive Johnny, but the chemistry is so good that you tend to overlook that pretty quickly.

Now, one of the recurring themes of the movie is that Johnny is a nice guy "almost to a fault".  And, while he does live up to that title for the most part, he does succumb to kissing a drunken Brooke less than 12 hours from arriving in the Hamptons.  So, while he may think he has a tough decision to make and he is completely vested in his current relationship, it may be a little more talk than substance.

If the numbers are correct, this film was made on a minuscule $25k budget, and the truth is you really can't tell.  Aside from the cast being relatively small, the production as a whole comes off as top notch which is probably a testament to Ed Burns' career knack for making good films on shoe string budgets.  And, while it may not be garnering any awards, the message is pretty simple: Most of the world is going to hear your dreams and tell you that "you can't".  So, you have to find someone who looks at you truthfully and says "of course you can".  Life is long and hard, and we all want to find someone who will stand by our side while we make our way through it.  But the truth is, marriage is an institution that can't be entered into lightly.  Will Brooke be the girls of Johnny's dreams and will they live happily ever after?  Maybe or maybe not.  But what Johnny has learned is that, for him to be the best for those around him, he has to do what makes him happy.

The Parking Lot Movie

The Parking Lot Movie
"Over the course of three years, filmmaker Meghan Eckman tracked the comings and goings of a solitary parking lot in Charlottesville, Va., chronicling the lives of the attendants who were working there. This inspiring documentary is the result. Hanging tough as they navigate the range of human emotion -- from hope to frustration, from a sense of limitless possibilities to stagnation -- the film's subjects embody the pursuit of the American Dream."


4 Stars

The Parking Lot Movie follows the grueling, nay, harrowing plight of a group of rag-tag societal misfits who utilize their unique positions as guardians of the Corner Parking Lot as an opportunity to sternly, but justly, maintain cosmic order in a world teetering on the edge of oblivion.

But seriously though, this movie is fucking brilliant, an all too rare tribute to the everyman.  It starts out as a quirky documentary about the different personalizes and societal perceptions held by a group of guys who are all bound together one thing, their job as booth workers at a pay parking lot in Charlottesville, Virginia.  But it eventually develops into a more substantial social commentary on our class system and the odd personas people can take on when they’re behind the wheel of a car.  We get to see firsthand how some of us can get almost lost in a sense of entitlement just because we’re driving a vehicle with four wheels.  And sometimes, unfortunately, that entitlement manifests itself into a way of treating other people that’s dismissive and, to some extent, cruel.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this movie isn’t sad on any level.  Well, I take that back, maybe on some level.  But the dry wit and sarcastic remarks that the attendants make about (and sometimes directly to the face of) their vehicle driving brethren are what makes the movie worth watching.  They are more than forthcoming with their personal opinions about the drivers they do battle with on a daily basis.  Through listening to the attendants express their own existential crises, neuroses, and even a little bit of psychoses, you quickly become a staunch admirer of the mental and moral fortitude it takes to really endure this job. 

You can’t help it, some people are just worthless bags of douche and the guys that are able to put up with them are much better men than I.  Go ahead, play that sad, pathetic ASPCA TV commercial with Sarah McLaughlin and the unwanted puppies as many times as you want in an effort to get me to be a better person.  It probably won’t do much.  But you make me watch this flick and you can be damn sure I’m gonna make the effort to be nicer to my parking lot attendant.

Leon: The Professional

Leon: The Professional
"Leon is a hitman, and happy with his life. When a young girl comes home to find her family has been killed by a drug dealer, she runs to him for help. When she discovers he is a hitman, she asks him to teach her the skills to take her revenge." 


3 Stars 
How do you reconcile the contrast that can arise between a piece of brilliant acting and a case of underwhelming story telling?  Furthermore, how do you rate a film when you have simultaneous guilt about begrudgingly overpraising a weak script in order to avoid dismissing a bevy of superb performances?  Well, in the words of my father, "You just suck it up."


Leon: The Professional is a movie that begins with all the promise in the world.  With virtually no exposition, the audience is thrown into the cold, calculated world of contract killing.  Leon (Jean Reno) is given an order to hit a group of thieves who are just passing through NYC.  We aren't told why they're bad guys, and we don't really need to know.  All that matters is that there's are bounties on their heads, and the ill-fated bastards were unlucky enough to have their numbers picked by Leon.  The tension created by the opening scene itself is stressful, if not almost palpable.  The skill and finesse shown by Leon as he deftly picks off each unsuspecting victim is almost as eerie at it is impressive.  Suffice it to say, he makes Jason Bourne and his commendable skills almost look rough and undisciplined.  But, the scene also gives us a glimpse into the code that Leon lives by, "No Women.  No Children."  While it may seem paradoxical, this concept of "moral standards" for a contract killer is necessary for the story line because, how else is the film maker going to get the audience to pull for an amoral leading man who literally kills for a living?


Enter Mathilda (Natalie Portman) who was able to act at a level that no 13 year old girl has any business to be acting.  I hurt with every one of her tears and I rejoiced with every one of her smiles.  I cannot describe it, but this little girl enthralled to a degree that I found myself genuinely concerned with her safety and emotional state, even though every logical part of my brain kept reminding me that it was all just "for pretends".  I know she just won an Oscar for this year's Black Swan, but if I had my way, she would have placed that golden statue on her mantle 17 years earlier.


And it wasn't just the performance of Reno and Portman that carried the team.  The supporting cast of Danny Aiello and Michael Badalucco was firing on all cylinders, too.  But the highlight outside of the primary duo was unquestionably Gary Oldman in one of his first major Hollywood roles.  Oldman plays Stansfield a corrupt, ironically drug addicted DEA agent who is the quintessential loose cannon.  These are the types of villains who really get my adrenaline pumping in a movie.  These kinds of characters who follow no rules and show no mercy to anyone or anything that stands in their way.  You honestly do find yourself convinced that Stansfield is going to kill the 13 year old Portman in the first 15 minutes of the film, even though you're head reminds you that's not going to happen because the movie is two hours long and you may need a protagonist.  There is a fine line between a crazed lunatic and psychotic villain that Oldman treads terrifically.


But, alas, the performances (as spectacular as they are) are pretty much the only thing worth praising about the film.  While the direction is above average, the story just leaves so much to be desired.  The back stories of Leon, Mathilda, and Stansfield are only touched upon, and I found it hard to wrap my head around all that was going without knowing what the characters motives were.  The scenes involving Mathilda's "training" almost felt like an afterthought and the subtle undertones of a potential sexual relationship between Mathilda and Leon was just bizarre.  While in most situations "less is more", in the particular case I felt that further developing the relationships of all the main characters could have done nothing but enhance the plot.


So, while I wanted so badly for this one to become one of my more revered films, I think it has to fall into the category of a disappointment.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's definitely worth watching, but you will have to power through a couple aspects.  Because the movie was shot in the early nineties, the wardrobe and hair styles reflect as such.  Maybe it's just me and my snobbish ways, but I sometimes have trouble taking seriously the guy in a Miami Vice green suit and Kenny G hair firing off rounds from an Uzi, but maybe I'm just old fashioned that way.  But, if you're looking for some shoot 'em up, you're going to find it.  The movie isn't gory, per se, but it is most definitely bloody, and I'm talking Tarentino bloody.  There is definitely a legitimate argument that could be made implying the movie may have been somewhat diminished by getting sucked in to the explosions and car chases that seemed to permeate the 90s film landscape.  So, while one of the final scenes might end (quite literally) with a bang, for me it was just a whimper.

Spread

Spread
"In Los Angeles, Nikki is homeless, car-less and closing in on 30, but he's amoral, good-looking, and adept in the sack, moving from one wealthy woman of 35 or 40 to another, a kept boy-toy. His newest gig, with Samantha, an attorney whose house overlooks L.A., is sweet, although it's unclear how long she'll put up with him. Then Nikki meets Heather, a waitress. Is the player being played, or might this be love? What will Nikki discover?" 


 3.5 Stars 


Nikki (Ashton Kutcher) is living the kind of lifestyle that any man in his 20s would epitomize, any man in his 30s would question, and any man in his 40s would pity.  He spends his days lounging by the pool, his nights partying at posh houses in the Hollywood Hills, and his mornings waking up next to beautiful women.  An yet he is, by most definitions, a gigolo.  He may not actually receive money for the sex and companionship he provides, but the fact that he is jobless and homeless means that he needs these women just as much (if not more so) than they need him.


When we first meet Nikki, he seems to be at the top of his game.  The insight into the gambits he uses for wooing a woman are conveyed through voice over through out the first 20 minutes or so of the film, but they are not necessarily ground breaking.  Any guy or girl who has even a relative amount of relationship experience would realize that he is simply "playing the game."  Which is why I found it so hard to believe that Samantha (Anne Heche) would be the kind of person to fall for it.  Here is a woman in her late 30s who is single, independent, drives a Mercedes, and owns a $5 million dollar cliff side home in Los Angeles.  I started to ask myself, how am I to believe that a woman like this would fall so easily into the sophomoric game of smoke and mirrors that is this guy's bread and butter?  And then, well, it dawned on me.  Maybe she wanted to.  The writer does an adequate job of hinting at the personal issues that have brought Nikki and Samantha to their respective points in their lives, and why they may just be exactly what each other needs at the moment, even if it's far from healthy.


Most importantly, the film does a good job of avoiding any kind of glorification of Nikki's life.  While he is constantly surrounded by beauty and opulence, there are subtle but persistent feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction.  While any guy would probably trade places with him for a week, I can't think of anyone that would actually want his life.  He is in his prime, sure, but there doesn't seem to be a gradual decline in store for him.  Instead, there is a looming feeling of a dark of a future with nothing but the hope of rock bottom to eventually and mercifully end his fall.


Enter Heather, played by a thoroughly intoxicating Margarita Levieva.  Up to this point in the film, Kutcher does a decent job of playing an emotionally distant narcissist who is trying just a little too hard to make people think that he doesn't care.  But when the sparks start flying between their two characters, I think that the acting gets taken to a whole new level.  As much as I hate to say it, Kutcher is better when he plays a character that shows heart, and that's what finally comes out when these two characters start their relationship.  


But things aren't always what they seem and the realization that Heather is living the same lifestyle as Nikki brings a whole new dynamic to the film that makes the earlier transgressions almost seem tame.  These are two emotionally damaged people who are almost beyond repair and their relationship becomes, for lack of a better phrase, fucked up.  The actual thought that these people are going to live happily ever after is a pipe dream and any semblance of a "Hollywood Ending" would have completely sunk the movie.  Luckily, the film stays true to form and, while I may not think the conclusion was quite harsh enough, there is enough stark reality tied in to make the film worthwhile.

City Island

City Island
"The Rizzos, a family who doesn't share their habits, aspirations, and careers with one another, find their delicate web of lies disturbed by the arrival of a young ex-con (Strait) brought home by Vince (Garcia), the patriarch of the family, who is a corrections officer in real life, and a hopeful actor in private." 


 3.5 Stars 
Editor's Note:  It actually took me a minute when I was tagging this film to truly decide whether or not if it fit more into the Drama or Comedy genre.  In the end, I settled on Comedy, but there is a relative amount of depth to this story that shouldn't be ignored.


The Rizzos are a close-nit, fairly stereotypical Bronx family living in the New England-esque town of City Island, NY nestled at the Western end of the Long Island Sound.  All of them are guilty, in one form or another, of indulging in little white lies to hide the parts of their lives that they are not quite ready to share with the rest of their family.  But, while their lies does have consequences, it's hard to ignore the fact that most of them are created in an effort to protect the ones they love from the truth and maintain the familiar facades they have created for one another.  The secrets cover a wide range of importance from the innocuous cigarettes Vince (Andy Garcia) and Joyce (Juliana Margulies) hide from each other, to the more significant realization that the newest inmate at the Corrections Facility Vince works at is actually his long-ago-abandoned son.


The choice of setting the story in City Island, New York (where the newcomers are referred to as "mussel-suckers" while the old blood calls themselves "clam-diggers") was a smart, albeit unutilized one.  This is a community where there is only one of each type of store and homes are passed down from generation to generation.  The town itself could have played a much more influential role in the definition of the characters and their history.  Instead, it almost came across that this story could have been set anywhere along the New England coast.  As opposed to a unique place that possesses both the serenity of a sleepy seaside town and the edge that comes from being in the Bronx.


The story itself also failed to deliver the whole way through.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but the end seemed just a little too easy.  The audience actually starts to buy into this family with all their flaws and real-life relatable struggles, so it really seems like a disservice when everything more or less works out in the end.  But, I must admit, the last 15 minutes of the film did result in one of the better movie climaxes I've seen in a while.  And there is really nothing bad that can be said about the acting.  Emily Mortimer and Steven Strait more than fulfill their duties as supporting cast members, as do Ezra Miller and Andy Garcia's real-life daughter Dominik Garcia-Lorido.  I've noticed Ezra Miller's talents in several other films, and apparently I'm not alone.  He's a noticeable force from the beginning of the movie, but it's almost as if his part was written just to get him some screen time.  So, while I'm glad to see him work, his storyline doesn't much contribute to helping move the plot along, and almost feels forced.


Regardless, this movie can really just be summed up in one word, family.  They aren't perfect, in fact they're far from it.  And the communication between them can only be described as slightly better than that of the United States and Russia during the Cold War.  But, no matter how they show it, they love each other and will always be there for one another.  The line that Andy Garcia delivers right before the credits roll is one I won't soon forget: 


"Every busy city needs an island of peace, just like every busy soul needs a place of repose."

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
"In the film, Sara Quinn (Julianne Nicholson) is interviewing men as part of her graduate studies. Her intellectual endeavor has emotional consequences as the men’s twisted and revealing stories are juxtaposed against the backdrop of her own experience. As she begins to listen closely to the men around her, Sara must ultimately reconcile herself to the darkness that lies below the surface of human interactions."


5 Stars

Whoa.  I don't even know what to say.  It's like . . . I mean it's kind of just . . . I can't even explain it . . . just, whoa.  Is this film going to be of a 5 Star caliber for everyone?  Absolutely not, but it damn sure is for me.  Let's begin with the obvious reasons why this film is cooking with the right ingredients.  John Krasinski in his directorial debut has recruited the likes of Ben Shenkman (Angels in America), Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People), Will Arnet (Arrested Development), Will Forte (SNL), Joey Slotnick (Boston Public), Dominic Cooper (Mama Mia), Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: SVU), Clarke Peters (The Wire), Denis O'Hare (True Blood), Fankie Faison (The Wire), Josh Charles (Sports Night), and Bobby Cannavale (Third Watch) into composing a film out of David Foster Wallace's short story collection of the same name.  Now, I must begrudgingly admit that I have yet to pick up any of his works and experience them first hand.  But, general opinion AND the fact that every few months something happens to serendipitously bring my attention to his writing must mean that he is someone I need to take note of.

The lone significant female role in this film is played by a stunning Julianne Nicholson.  I don't mean "stunning" in the beautiful sense (although she is lovely), but rather in the way that she utilizes a relatively small number of lines and is able to still be the dramatic driving force behind the entire film.  Now, attempting to mold a series of short stories together into a cohesive manner on screen is definitely a herculean task.  And frankly it's a task that, while noble, still falls a little bit short.  But man, not by much.

The film almost plays like two distinctly different Acts to me.  The First Act is relatively light and seems to take on a similar tone to movies like He's Just Not That Into You and When Harry Met Sally (a personal favorite) in the sense that we are almost given a set of guidelines or insights into the workings of the male mind and its perceptions.  Now, I feel like I do need to take this time to warn some ladies out there.  Many of the revelations made by men in the film are things that I find to be fairly universal truths when it comes to the male psyche and behavior.  However, many of these insights are, unfortunately, things of which I am not necessarily the most proud.  Let's suffice to say that after watching the first half of the film, I don't think any of the ladies out there are going to be particularly fond of their male companions.  And fellas, as a warning to you as well, you may want to slide over on the couch in order to be just out of arm's reach, because your girl may be overwhelmed with the uncontrollable need to punch you in the shoulder.  Obviously, both sides can do as you wish, but you were forewarned.  But, as a person who is perpetually interested in further exploring the human condition, I found most of the interviews in the First Act to be insightful and thoroughly entertaining.  And, I would suggest that you actually watch the trailer here to get an idea of what you are in store for.

Conversely, the Second Act takes a decidedly heavier and darker tone.  It begins, rather abruptly, with an extended scene featuring Frankie Faison as he, almost disdainfully, recounts the job that his father held as a bathroom attendant in a posh hotel.  To be honest, I almost feel like the scene doesn't have any business being in this film, and I mean that in a respectful way.  This scene is so gripping and powerful, that I almost wish it was a stand alone piece that could be examined and revered for its own brilliance.  Plus, with it's glaring racial overtones, I almost found it hard to relate to the fabric of the rest of the film.

We then jump to a scene between Domini Cooper and Julianne Nicholson that is nothing short of superb.  The entire scene is actually an inter cutting of three separate conversations between the characters that is paced so brilliantly, I almost found myself moving to the edge of my chair as the tension grew so tight that it became palpable.  This scene is the one is most obviously added for relative shock value, but the entertainment factor alone let's us forgive the director for adding something so brash.

The last major scene occurs between John Krasinski and Julianne Nichiolson in which the audience is finally given a clearer view as to what exactly has been going on throughout the film and why the female character has been performing these interviews with "hideous men".  John Krasinki actually delivers a powerful monologue that will make you completely forget that the bread and butter of his career has been portraying the affable Jim Halpert on The Office.  He recounts a story that, while the "wires" of it may fray at times in the middle, he concludes with such a blindingly poignant moment that I challenge anyone not to sit back in their seat and say, damn.

So, while I can't predict the reception that each individual person may have to the film, all I can say is that this film was one I whole heartily believe is worth watching, and I hope some of you do too.

Barney's Version

Barney's Version
"Take a ride through the life and memories of Barney Panofsky, a hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, foulmouthed 65-year old hockey fanatic and television producer, as he reflects on his life's successes and (numerous) gaffes and failures as the final chapters of his own existence come sharply into focus."

4.5 Stars

As the film opens, you may find yourself wondering if you have accidentally stumbled in an infomercial about DI-UH-BEET-US because, whether they meant to or not, the make up artists were able to age the initial antagonist Mark Addy into a spitting image of Wilford Brimley.  Now, if you don't understand that reference, don't worry because it wasn't that funny and, I have to admit, a little obscure.

But moving on, let's talk about the movie.  First and foremost it's important that you take the title of  "Barney's Version" into consideration when it comes to interpreting the accuracy of the events of the film.  Barney (played brilliantly in this case by Paul Giamatti) is an unreliable narrator who, although he never actually does a voice over, is giving the audience his recollection and the correlating interpretation of his life.  This intriguing framing device might be most evident in the scene where we see Barney fall in love with his eventual 3rd wife while at the wedding reception to his 2nd wife.  On the surface, it appears as though Barney falls in love with Miriam based on 3 simple criteria - 1) Her looks.  2)  Her appreciation a good Monte Cristo cigar.  3) Her thoughtfulness to update Barney on the final score of a Stanley Cup match he was missing due to the wedding.  Now, this may come off as relatively shallow and almost flippant when you consider the fact that a newly married man is pursuing another woman at his own wedding reception.  But, the romantic in me likes to believe that Barney is experiencing the extremely rare (if even possible at all) Love at First Sight.

Miriam, the object of Barney's affection is played by a surprisingly powerful Rosamund Pike.  I mean, let's be honest, Paul Giamatti can't seem to walk more than 10 feet without tripping over an Academy Award nomination these days.  But Rosamund Pike almost gave me the feeling that she was the critically acclaimed actor instead of the relatively green performer that she actually is.  And that's a conclusion I cam to in spite of the fact that I wasn't necessarily as infatuated with her as Barney was at their initial meeting.  But, even though it took me a little longer, by the end of the movie I was head over heels for her.

There are a lot of other impressive performances in the film too, like that of Rachelle LeFevre and Scott Speedman, but the one I feel I must point out as being superior to all the rest is Dustin Hoffman's.  He plays the boisterous, sometimes border-line inappropriate role of Barney's father Izzy to damn near perfection.  Izzy is a retired New York beat cop who spent 30 years patrolling the "mean streets" and persisted in the face very thinly veiled anti-semitism by administering his own (slightly law-bending) form of justice.  In spite of a hard life, he comes of as a wise, jovial man with no regrets and one I could probably listen to for hours over a glass of good bourbon.

Now, the film does come off as a little left-of-center, but I don't mean that in any sort of negative way.  Nor do I mean that as a code word to imply that this is a weird, artsy movie that only a certain niche of movie-goers are going to appreciated.  But rather, I guess what I mean is that there does not seem to be one particular, all-encompassing theme or direction for the film.  It does jump around quite a bit through various time lines, but the action is never difficult to follow, in fact it's quite the contrary.  This is a direct result of the excellent make up done to the aging characters.  Make up so good, in fact, that it was nominated for an Academy Award.

But, at its very core, I feel like this film is just a portrayal of the common experience we all share of being human and trying to find our own bliss.  Inherently, the mere fact that we are human means that we all have the imperfections and insecurities that have to come along with it, and Barney is no exception.  He is just a decent guy trying to do the best that he can, and this is his story.