DREAM SCENARIO Review

When going into a movie with a premise as interesting as Dream Scenario there is always a mix of anticipation and anxiety. Anticipation in seeing what story the screenwriter chooses to tell through this unique premise while the anxiety centers around whether the film is able to see the full potential of said premise through to fruition. In terms of this very aesthetically indie third feature from writer/director Kristoffer Borgli the hook is that an average, everyday family man in the form of Nicolas Cage suddenly begins to show up in the dreams of both strangers and acquaintances. With no explanation as to why this is happening Cage's Paul Matthews comes to something of a fork in the road around how to deal with and/or take advantage of his newfound fame that naturally descends into notoriety. Another layer to Borgli's script in particular is that, given the premise, literally any moment in the film could either be a dream or reality leaving the audience guessing as to if what we're seeing is truly happening to our protagonist or not. 

Borgli unfortunately doesn't take as much advantage of this second layer as is available to him, but what is maybe more interesting is where the filmmaker ultimately decides to take the premise for the sake of the story he is telling. Much of the film frames Paul as a man or person searching for other people to impress and who are impressed by him, yet he constantly finds himself surrounded by those who have no interest in appeasing this desire. Whether it be his students, his children (Lily Bird and Jessica Clement), former colleagues (Dylan Baker) and girlfriends (Marnie McPhail) or even his current wife (Julianne Nicholson) in certain, critical moments – they all seem rather unbothered and unimpressed by Paul. Because of this, Paul is always searching for the insult whenever speaking with someone about himself and even when this phenomenon of him showing up in other people's dreams begins his instinct is not to wonder why this happening in the first place, but rather why his presence is only as a bystander. Still, as someone described as a "remarkable nobody" he enjoys the sudden shift in attention and isn't great at hiding it or remaining humble about it even if he remains average within this exceptional occurrence. Even when repercussions of this newfound fame begin to impact his real, personal life Paul has no sense of how to actually deal with things he otherwise imagines he would tackle head on; he’s helpless. 

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT Review

Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have carved out something of a niche for themselves by making high-brow, star-centric, concept dramedies that one can't help but to be interested in if over a certain age. With Crazy Stupid Love being something of a breakout after their underrated 2009 debut in I Love You Phillip Morris the co-directors collaborated on writing and directing the stylish if not overly convoluted Will Smith caper last winter in Focus and have now moved on to collaborate with Tina Fey and long time writing partner Robert Carlock for this adaptation of newspaper reporter Kim Barker's memoir, "The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan". While I haven't read Barker's book this is one of the few stories I almost feel compelled to go back and read after having seen the movie version. Typically, I like to read any type of source material prior to seeing a film adaptation due simply to knowing where the idea for the film came from and what/why certain changes might have been made to better adapt the material to a different art form, but Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (why they didn't keep the more engaging title of the book for the movie is something of a mystery, especially given I don't recall there being a title card in the film) is something of an aberration in the sense that the film itself is not necessarily what we might expect from a seeming comedy, that somehow was able to get away with an R-rating, and stars one of the more agreeable celebrities of our time. Fey is someone even the most cynical among us can't seem to dislike and so to pair her with directors who have somehow managed to secure solid budgets on thoughtful, adult fare such as this is inspiring and thankfully, worth the endeavor as the resulting product is a well-constructed, nicely measured bit of insight into a set of circumstances not many can identify with making this inside look and the general proceedings all the more engaging and interesting.

New Trailer for WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT Starring Tina Fey

When the first trailer for Whiskey Tango Foxtrot premiered a month or so ago I felt no urge to post about it, but given there is a deluge of trailers dropping today it just feels rude to exclude it. Still, the film feels mostly irrelevant as far as the popular cinematic landscape is concerned and will likely make as big of an impression on the box office as Bill Murray's Rock the Kasbah or even Fey's Admission from a few years back. That said, I won't mind and am actually somewhat interested in seeing the film as it features a rock solid cast that, besides Fey, includes Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, and Alfred Molina. More exciting than even than the rather impressive roster of actors is the fact the film is directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa who have previously made both Crazy Stupid Love and last years Focus that also featured Robbie. I have enjoyed both of Ficarra and Requa's previous efforts with Focus especially getting better on each viewing. This time around the directing duo are adapting Kim Barker‘s memoir “The Taliban Shuffle,” which tells the story of how Barker volunteered to work as a reporter in the Middle East as a means of both shaking up her professional and social life. Also of note is the fact Barker's memoir was adapted for the screen by long time Fey collaborator Robert Carlock (SNL, 30 Rock, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and so, while this thing may inevitably fly under the radar (it's opening against Disney's Zootopia) that doesn't mean we should write it off just yet as there is serious potential here. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot also stars Nicholas Braun, Josh Charles, Sterling K. Brown and opens on March 4th, 2016.

First Trailer for POLTERGEIST Remake

I watched the original Poltergeist a few years back on Halloween as it is the one time a year I try to go back and catch up on any horror classics I might not yet have seen. I enjoyed the film and found reading about it afterwards all the more fascinating given the content of the movie and the circumstances surrounding many of the cast members deaths. Sure, it can be chalked up to coincidence, but it is strange nonetheless ultimately giving the actual product a vibe no one necessarily wants to touch. Thirty-three years later though we have a remake that intends to further the commentary on screens taking over our lives by discussing how things have only become worse since the original was released. What is reassuring about this new film though, despite horror fans and lovers of the original no doubt crying foul before ever giving it a chance, are the credentials it has going for it. Director Gil Kenan has only made two features prior to this but they are two solid, underappreciated features. The first being 2006's wonderful Monster House for which I distinctly remember my theater-going experience. I didn't expect much, but was pleased to allow the wit and creativity to wash over me. The same could be said for his second feature, 2008's City of Ember though I haven't revisited that film as often as Kenan's first feature. To top it off Kenan has enlisted a cast that includes Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt and Jared Harris as well as newcomer Kennedi Clements. This first trailer certainly hints at some pretty insane stuff and, if nothing else, looks like a fun PG-13 horror flick in the vein of The Ring. Even if I'm not necessarily excited about the thought of continuing to rehash old material, I'm at least happy to see another film from this promising director. Poltergeist opens in 3D on July 24th.