PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Review

From the opening second of Emerald Fennell's feature directorial debut that sears itself into your eardrums with Charli XCX's "Boys" it's abundantly clear we're in for a hell of a treat that is as pop-fueled and brightly colored as that introductory music track. Even as the music conjures images of pristine bodies dancing around pool parties that feature the color palette of a highlighter collection, Fennell immediately emasculates and disarms every male viewer that might already be dismissing her film by displaying what hapless, awkward grunts the majority of us look like when trying to appeal to the opposite sex in an alluring fashion. After immediately establishing the style in which she will relay her message Fennell's camera next wades in slow motion through a sea of nine to fivers scavenging for drinks that might hand them enough courage to approach vulnerable girls as the writer/director next establishes the key to Promising Young Woman: tone. Drawn from the anger of double standards and the (large amount of) satire contained in the line of thought that men could ever be more mature than women in any sense Fennell's screenplay - aided by a tour de force (and I don't use that phrase lightly) performance from Carey Mulligan - is as scathing as it is smart and as wild as it can be funny. It's almost contradictory how much there is to smile about while taking in the film given the serious nature of the topics being addressed, but Fennell finds such a satisfying way of conveying the revenge fantasy elements that it's next to impossible to not want to stand up and cheer every time Mulligan's Cassie leaves the room after delivering a gut punch of a one-liner to the creep she just taught a lesson. Fennell has style for days, obviously, along with what were probably notebooks full of stories about encounters she and her friends have had with men who seemed decent enough, but would still try to take advantage if the opportunity presented itself yet it is the way in which she is able to distill the daily indignities women routinely endure that ultimately reconciles the message with the mode. Promising Young Woman may be constructed to feel like an epic revenge fantasy and a sometimes sweet romantic comedy, but the situations depicted are unfortunately not as far-fetched as the calculated aesthetic would lead one to believe. To this extent, Fennell isn't interested in making a genre film as much as she is courting how cunning, meticulous, and self-aware one must be in order to exact revenge in the ways Cassie does here; she isn't trying to wipe the slate clean, she's looking to re-configure the establishment of that slate one piece at a time. In the immortal words of Paris Hilton, "That's hot" has never been more sincerely stated (or accurate) than when applied to Promising Young Woman.

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL Review

Everything about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl screams artsy film festival fodder. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact a decade ago that description would have suggested anything but a bad thing, and yet there is such a stigma around films molded on the tendencies of Wes Anderson now that they've become ripe for criticism. What also doesn't help Me and Earl and the Dying Girl's case is the level of self-reference it operates within. At one point, how can we expect any person or movie to exist without a certain level of self-awareness when the environment we live in is a heightened social media one where each of us are called out for the cliché's of our life and yet, on the other end, there is still the viable option of embracing one's self or one's story wholeheartedly to the point the audience is enveloped in the earnestness. It's a tough choice to make and just because Me and Earl and the Dying Girl decides to go way in one direction doesn't immediately make it a recycled, overused picture that lacks real meaning or effect because the techniques it uses to convey it's story may no longer be as fresh or meaningful as they once were. This is the area where some seem to have accused the film of being trite or even irritating, but beneath all of the style that director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has smothered upon Jesse Andrews quip-heavy screenplay adapted from his own novel I find it hard to believe anyone could justly deny the emotion and straight-up craft the film also packs into its running time. This brings us to the beginning of the film where our protagonist and narrator, Greg (Thomas Mann), can't decide how best to begin his story and thus debates between a trope such as, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." or simply remaining in his head so as to guide us through his thought process. As the latter wins out we are given examples of what Greg might consider the best of times and what might qualify for the worst. Before springing into the title credits Greg looks to his left to see what would indicate that what he's recently experienced, what he's going to tell us about, were indeed the best of times even if he didn't realize it in the moment.

First Trailer for ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

Making major waves out of the Sundance Film Festival in January Me and Earl and the Dying Girl won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. Needless to say, my interest was piqued. It's always nice to see what films will come along throughout the year that you didn't expect, that you didn't see coming because they really have no major credentials and zero precedent. This feels like one of those types of films; the summer indie akin to something like The Way, Way Back, The Kings of Summer or The Spectacular Now from a few years ago that really captured the essence of that transition from being in a state of adolescence to that of actual maturity. While the trailer also tends to make it look an awful lot like those types of films it has a nice enough little hook that it divulges about halfway through that should stand to reason why cinephiles who attend things like The Sundance Film Festival enjoyed it so much. As a kid who fell for the movies early and attempted my own versions of features and shorts with little more than a handheld camera, I too was taken by the trailer. It only helps the film has received such solid accolades so far as it truly does look like a touching and extremely soulful film that would be disappointing were it simply looked over as another indie movie that simply existed. Given all of that, I really hope the final product lives up to the hype and promise it delivers in this first look. Starring Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Jon Bernthal, Molly Shannon, RJ Cyler and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, most notable for his work on American Horror Story, with a screenplay from Jesse Andrews based on his own novel Me and Earl and the Dying Girl opens on June 12th.

First Trailer for HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2

I rather enjoyed the first Hotel Transylvania when it premiered back in September of 2012 though I expected that was likely because I didn't expect much going in. Regardless, I still feel like one of the few who still roots for Adam Sandler to make the hard left turn into doing something interesting and not just barely scraping by on the reputation he's built over the years. At least with this animated series he will see the returns he is accustomed to as his live action outings continue to decrease. Joined by his regular gang of pals that includes Andy Samberg, Kevin James, David Spade and Steve Buscemi the sequel to Transylvania will follow Sandler's Dracula and his new grandson that is half-human and half-vampire courtesy of his daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez, also returning) and Samberg's Jonathan. While the teaser hints how this dynamic might play out and is rather funny in terms of seeing Dracula and his friends attempting to convince themselves that their new addition will be more in line with their side of the family than the humans they once forbid in their presence. While the original was of course nothing groundbreaking it was solid family fun and one I actually wouldn't mind re-watching when my daughter gets a little older and in need of distracting Halloween fun. It seems Sony is intent on keeping this sequel very much in line with the original as Hotel Transylvania 2 hits theaters on September 25th and also features the voice talents of  Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, Keegan-Michael Key, and Mel Brooks.

LIFE AFTER BETH Review

Life After Beth gets off to a strong start. From the trailer or even the awkward glare of Aubrey Plaza (Parks and the Recreation) on the poster that features the pun of a title there was a glimmer of hipster cool to this play on the zombie genre. Besides the casting of Plaza the inclusion of Mr. Indie himself at the moment, Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), speaks volumes to the kind of tone and atmosphere that first time writer/director Jeff Baena (who is Plaza's boyfriend) was attempting to capture in order to convey his attitude on this somewhat satirical, somewhat personal account. The sardonic aspects of the film are meant to function solely as a method of heightening the rather typical main narrative that follows the relationship of a boy and a girl and their break-up and how sometimes the saying "you don't know what you got till it's gone" is a bit of a false heading. I sound a little jaded though, I realize, which mainly comes from the fact that Life After Beth seems to believe it's both smarter and hipper than it actually is while almost counting on the public persona of its two leads as a way to convince audiences of both its intelligence and cool factor. In truth, the film feels oddly flat and struggles to collect any kind of coherent tone as the story goes off the rails early and is never able to find its way to anything resembling substance. Let's get back to that strong start though, because things certainly looked promising when the films score by the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club roared into play as the title card filled the screen and we are then taken into a small, often forgotten little moment that perfectly encapsulates the types of moments this film should be filled with. DeHaan's Zach Orfman stands in an aisle of a grocery store looking at the paper plates and napkins trying simply to find black napkins. He has been to a number of stores, that is clear, yet has failed to come across the only color napkin that might be suitable for a post-funeral gathering. When an uninformed employee suggests he try a party store as that color napkin is more of a seasonal item for Halloween we understand the confliction Zach is feeling and the dark humor in the observation. It is a moment we don't think of until we experience it ourselves or see it unfold in this fashion. We understand what is being reached for, but the remainder of the film fails to live up to these small, simple hopes I held after this gem of a moment.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA Review

It's hard to sometimes put a finger on how one can gauge an Adam Sandler production. This is especially true when it comes to the comedian pushing out children's movies rather than his standard PG-13 fare. You hate to bash the guy because he genuinely seems invested in putting out fun, enjoyable films for parents to take their young ones to. It is clear his current life situation inclines him to know what youngsters might want to see in a film (he has a four and a six year old) and despite his current lack of both critical and commercial success he still has the clout to concoct pretty much anything he would like. Thus, we have a cute if not predictable movie that follows the pattern of pretty much any Sandler movie where we learn generic lessons of love and life. There is nothing really wrong with what the guy is doing and I wonder if there is even a point in complaining anymore and so I wiped Jack & Jill from my mind and walked into Hotel Transylvania with a renewed sense of hope and trust in Sandler and his gang that provide the voice work here. While that trust didn't extend to giving the comedian more credit than he is due it should also be taken into consideration that this film will be overshadowed as one of three Halloween-inspired kid flicks this year. This was the biggest deterrent for the feature as having just witnessed Paranorman and its fantastical quirks I was hoping this more light-hearted fare might provide some wonderfully clever bits while subliminally teaching the tykes of today that discrimination and bullying aren't cool. Rest assured, there are some creative and inspired sequences here while the story focuses more on the father/daughter relationship, but what is truly refreshing is that I didn't come out of a Sandler produced film having cringed multiple times throughout. I'll take it.

Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) tries to persuade his
daughter that the outside world is nothing but hateful.

We begin with a re-introduction to the famous Count Dracula who we see as the curtain's pulled back is a Dad who cares above all for his brand new baby girl, Mavis. We get no explanation of where Mom is but we can guess as is typical with animated films that something tragic has happened and it will greatly affect the relationship of the father and daughter. Whatever happened to the Count's precious wife it has made him decide to build a place where no humans will ever find him or his daughter and will also provide a place of refuge for fellow monsters who just need a few days off. Naturally, this safe haven ends up being the title of our film and all things accounted for, its a pretty good premise. I know it's hard to give Sandler any ounce of credit and he likely doesn't deserve much in coming up with the story for this thing as it was written by Peter Baynham who had a hand in last years wonderful Arthur Christmas and Robert Smigel who is known for the animated TV Funhouse shorts that were an SNL staple a few years ago. Still, it is Sandler's gang that likely got this thing to the big screen and provide the voices for the array of monsters that show up for Mavis's 118th birthday. This is an annual event at the hotel, but this year is something special as Mavis (innocently and sweetly brought to life by Selena Gomez) wants to know what lies outside the castle walls. It is her time to discover her own self. The arrival of guests such as her Uncle Frankenstein (Kevin James) and his wife Eunice (Fran Drescher), the Big Bad Wolf who is here known as Wayne (Steve Buscemi) his wife Wanda (Molly Shannon) and their litter of little ones, as well as Griffin the Invisible Man (David Spade) and Murray the Mummy (Cee Lo Green) likely don't help in easing the stress of always having to please her father and meet his expectations. Mavis gets her taste of the outside world when a free-spirited adolescent kid named Jonathan (Andy Samberg) happens upon her dads hotel and they share an instant connection.

Mavis (Selena Gomez) does end up getting a taste of the
outside world when Jonathan (Andy Samberg) shows up.

Naturally, there is tension here as Dracula feels the pressure to hide the fact a human has made it into the hotel while keeping a good relationship with his daughter which he has already damaged by not telling her the truth one too many times. While the story plays out in exactly the fashion you know it will the screening I attended had plenty of young children enjoying themselves and laughing continuously at the creative little quips that are thrown in. This little facet is truly what saves Hotel Transylvania from disappearing quicker than it might have into the onslaught of family films hitting the cineplexes this fall. While it realizes its own simple premise and the fact they are conveying a universal message with monsters in place of people it is still nothing but good fun watching as these guys play up the exaggerated characteristics of each of these classic characters (especially Sandler as our protagonist Dracula). Whether it be the little skulls giving bingo numbers, the alarm clocks or do not disturb sign substitutes in the hotel, even the personalities assigned to the characters are funny if not a little expected. The real relief from the typical here though is the voice work of Andy Samberg. Love him or hate him in his second Sandler collaboration this year he livens up the movie as his character does the party going down at the hotel. Playing what was likely himself a few years back his character Jonathan is a youthful guy probably taking that year off between high school and college to travel the world for no specific reason other than to travel. Samberg plays the goofball with such an aloof sense of wonderment and privilege as he gets to visit a sweet castle filled with what looks to be the best costume party ever. There are a few scenes including Jonathan disguised as a Frankenstein that are designed to display the character arc of Dracula that do almost give off that classic childhood scene vibe that kids seeing it now will reference when they get older and reflect on this long forgotten film they will probably re-watch every October for the next few years. If that is any indication, its clear the film has something going for it.

Cee-Lo, Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, and Molly Shannon
all provide voices for the parade of monsters in
Hotel Transylvania.

In writing a review for any film involving Adam Sandler lately it feels one has to be on the extreme defensive if they indicate anything at all about it might be remotely enjoyable. This was the case going through the process of putting my thoughts down here, but I can honestly say that despite the cliches and standard quality of the overall story and even the character design and animation I had a fun enough time watching the movie to recommend it. Of course, it will appeal much more to an audience who haven't seen this story play out before (and likely in much better form) but it is the imaginative ways in which these monsters have been integrated into the casual day-to-day life that reflects our own proving that despite their evil-looking exterior they are just people as well; this allows the kids in the audience a way to kind of brave their fears of monsters while the film is smart enough to not go for genuine scares but instead to laugh at how silly it is to be scared of these characters. The movie especially gets going as the monsters exit their comfort zone after their leader experiences his epiphany and we actually get a chance to see the entire parade of monsters leap into action for the first time as the majority of the running time is dedicated to the Mavis/Dad/Jonathan storylines. While I was hoping for a bit more of the ensemble feel throughout It's hard to be that upset over an animated movie you weren't exactly holding out high hopes for in the first place. In this regard Hotel Transylvania succeeds in surpassing my expectations and it will probably yours as well.

  

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA Review

It's hard to sometimes put a finger on how one can gauge an Adam Sandler production. This is especially true when it comes to the comedian pushing out children's movies rather than his standard PG-13 fare. You hate to bash the guy because he genuinely seems invested in putting out fun, enjoyable films for parents to take their young ones to. It is clear his current life situation inclines him to know what youngsters might want to see in a film (he has a four and a six year old) and despite his current lack of both critical and commercial success he still has the clout to concoct pretty much anything he would like. Thus, we have a cute if not predictable movie that follows the pattern of pretty much any Sandler movie where we learn generic lessons of love and life. There is nothing really wrong with what the guy is doing and I wonder if there is even a point in complaining anymore and so I wiped Jack & Jill from my mind and walked into Hotel Transylvania with a renewed sense of hope and trust in Sandler and his gang that provide the voice work here. While that trust didn't extend to giving the comedian more credit than he is due it should also be taken into consideration that this film will be overshadowed as one of three Halloween-inspired kid flicks this year. This was the biggest deterrent for the feature as having just witnessed Paranorman and its fantastical quirks I was hoping this more light-hearted fare might provide some wonderfully clever bits while subliminally teaching the tykes of today that discrimination and bullying aren't cool. Rest assured, there are some creative and inspired sequences here while the story focuses more on the father/daughter relationship, but what is truly refreshing is that I didn't come out of a Sandler produced film having cringed multiple times throughout. I'll take it.