First Trailer for BASTARDS Starring Owen Wilson & Ed Helms

With the long-delayed release of Masterminds next week it seems Warner Bros. thought now might be the best time to debut the first trailer for their R-rated January offering in Bastards. While it couldn't feel more like Owen Wilson has slipped into complete comfort roles after passes with more challenging material in Midnight in Paris and Inherent Vice I always enjoy a nice piece of comfort comedy and hopefully if Jared Hess' Masterminds doesn't fill that quota in a few weeks maybe Bastards can come January when we (arguably) need it more anyway. What is interesting about Bastards is the pairing of Wilson with Ed Helms (who I totally thought was Jason Sudeikis in the above still). It's always interesting to mix and match and see what comedic stars charisma's work best together and so the prospect of Helms' more frantic gonzo mentality mixed with Wilson's more laid back persona should make for an interesting dynamic. It doesn't hurt the film has strong supporting credentials either as Glenn Close plays Wilson and Helms' characters mother with the premise being that she lied to her sons about their fathers death. Originally telling them he died of cancer the boys come to learn their mother actually doesn't know who their father is at all and so they set off across the country to track down potential dads. With J.K. Simmons and Terry Bradshaw delivering some of the bigger laughs here it seems first time director Lawrence Sher has taken advantage of every caveat screenwriter Justin Malen (the upcoming Baywatch movie) has thrown at him with it being especially endearing to see Katt Williams in a major studio comedy like this alongside more mainstream names. While the comedy probably won't be breaking any new ground and by all accounts might be pretty bad I'm always hopeful when Wilson is involved and so I can only hope he proves the release date stigma wrong. Bastards also stars Ving Rhames, Katie Aselton, Bill Irwin, Ryan Cartwright, Harry Shearer, and opens on January 27, 2017.

RICKI AND THE FLASH Review

Meryl Streep's latest is something of an oddity. It is difficult to see the sixty-six year-old, Academy Award-winning actress as a lover of 60's and 70's rock and roll who never gave up her dream of joining that world. It isn't that Streep can't pull it off (please, what can't she do?), it's just a strange sight to behold and watch unfold. Decked out in gaudy jewelry from her ears to every finger and even more excessively around her neck, she is a nightmare for airport security. She swoops her thinning air to one side with the rest braided so as to elicit a steaming punk persona. She wears lots of black and a lot of leather and hates to go anywhere without her guitar. While the typically regal persona we see from Streep certainly doesn't correspond with what we see in Ricki there is something to be said for this unorganized, irresponsible and blatantly selfish person that chose one dream over another. Written by Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) and directed by Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) Ricki and the Flash is more a movie about the state of the American family than it is one about a failed singer. The trailers would have you believe this is something of a slight piece of melodrama that would be just as (if not more) suitable for the Lifetime network than your local multiplex, but it's clear from the moment things get a little more intense concerning Ricki's daughter (Streep's real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer) that this isn't simply a familial drama with fun interludes of Streep singing classic rock. No, Ricki and the Flash is indeed a more subtle and intricate commentary on topics largely relatable to the casual audience member. Sure, you may could see the conventions that the film works within from a mile away, but the seasoned cast sells it and the inspired moments of writing in certain scenes combined with Demme's assured direction make for an enjoyable and rather affecting experience.