THE CIRCLE Review

Not everyone is going to like you. That is a lesson today's society could stand to appreciate a little more if not learn, but that doesn't mean that's going to stop people from trying. Wanting to be liked isn't inherently a bad thing, but when we depend on "Likes" to sustain our own sense of self-worth, when we're living off "Likes" there could certainly be one or two issues pop up. When we live through the persona we've created online and reach a point we can't identify our true selves then what people like isn't actually the individual anymore anyway, so where do we draw the line? How can this age of transparency be utilized in positive ways rather than resorting to fake or devious methods to again try and prove that some lives are more valuable or more special than others? In The Circle Emma Watson plays a young, presumably middle glass girl in her early twenties who goes to work for a tech company a la Google called The Circle and essentially becomes their poster child for transparency. Submitting herself to the line of thinking that she can only be her best self when she knows people are watching her; that to leave her to her own devices would mean that she would develop and keep secrets and to harbor secrets is to have something to lie about to the world. Sound slightly cult-ish? It's supposed to, but while the tech company that is The Circle clearly has ulterior motives for their extreme invasions of privacy that they so lovingly convey as being concerns for the greater good of mankind The Circle the movie doesn't seem as clear on what its motives or meanings are supposed to be. On one hand there is certainly an analogy at play for the world as presented in the film when compared to that of the social media-driven culture we're all currently a part of, but while Facebook can still plead connection and bringing people together as their main objective it is so blatantly obvious that The Circle seeks world domination that it's past the point of believable someone hasn't called them on their bluff already. Furthermore, the film builds in a fashion where the audience is led to believe there is going to be a major twist, a serious maneuver of innovation over intelligence, a battle of wits for the ages, but when such metaphoric beans come to be spilled there is hardly any cohesion to the point our protagonist makes. Watson's Mae Holland uses The Circle's tools against its nefarious leaders, but she has no point, no position, and all we're left with is a clouded message of a movie that goes nowhere.

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES Review

There is a point in the newest comedy from director Greg Mottola where it seems this broad comedy might rise above the grind it seems so destined to follow, but it only ends up being a brief moment of wackiness that Mottola and crew don’t care to dedicate themselves to carrying out. Rather, Keeping Up With the Joneses continues its stride toward the mediocre with very little to serve as surprising or inspired despite being made by the guy who put together Superbad and Adventureland. Yes, Mottola, the man who directed the likes of one of the great high school comedies of the last fifteen years as well as tapping into the struggles of that weird time post-college where you’re not sure where to go from that point has made a movie for the first time in five years that in fact couldn’t feel more uninspired. My hope, when I saw that Mottola was directing, was that the trailers and TV spots for the film might intentionally be setting our expectation bar low so that when we finally saw the finished product we might be taken with how much better it actually is than we expected. And while this does somewhat happen given the trailers and TV spots indeed made this look terrible in the vein of a run of the mill comedy that says let's put your average person in the midst of a ridiculous situation and see how funny they act in response to it kind of way. Still, with the talent Mottola and the studio garnered for this project my hope was that the film might bring something deeper or more acute to the scenario of superspies in suburbia, but there is no such sly observations or social commentary to be found in Keeping Up With the Joneses. Unfortunately, all we have here is a wacky situational comedy that too often relies on lead Zach Galifianakis’ one-liners too lift it from the doldrums of the generic jokes and obvious pratfalls Michael LeSieur’s screenplay is built on. LeSieur (You, Me & Dupree) seems the type of comedy writer who comes up with an interesting or funny enough scenario and then applies it to a familiar structure making the final product more predictable than laugh-inducing. That said, Keeping Up With the Joneses is about as good (and bad) as one would expect given the terrible trailers. It’s familiar and overly safe, but the fun performances from each of the four leads lend it a spring in its step that otherwise would have left this thing dead on arrival.

First Trailer for KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

Just as with this past weekend's Central Intelligence 20th Century Fox has mined the spy genre and mixed it with comedy and a broad premise that should ultimately deliver something wholly agreeable to be enjoyed by the majority of those who venture out to see it. With a headlining cast of Jon Hamm, Wonder Woman herself Gal Gadot, Zach Galifianakis, and Isla Fisher Keeping Up With the Joneses is destined to be something of a smaller scale hit for the studio that will inevitably find a bigger fan base once it hits home video. The premise is simple: we initially meet a regular suburban couple (Fisher and Galifianakis) who are in something of a rut, but who find things immediately spiced up by the presence of two outrageously attractive and seemingly perfect neighbors in Hamm and Gadot. Of course, the more they get to know their new neighbors the more they learn about them thus revealing the "Joneses" to be exactly how they appear-covert super spies! While the concept is fairly broad and the execution doesn't look to be anything more than acceptable I have hope for the project due to the fact Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland) is behind the camera. Mottola is typically able to bring a certain tone and unique charisma to his comedies that allow them to stand out in the sea of studio produced comedies that seem to come off conveyor belts, but while this trailer certainly makes his latest feel like just another product in a long line of similar projects I'm hoping that when we see the actual film we get more of that specific tone and charm we usually see in the director's work. Of course, as the screenplay comes from Michael LeSieur whose biggest credit to date is You, Me, & Dupree this could really go either way. Keeping Up With the Joneses also stars Patton Oswalt, Matt Walsh, Maribeth Monroe, Kevin Dunn, Ming Zhao, and opens on October 21st, 2016.

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY Review

A sense of anticipation and excitement fills me whenever Ben Stiller decides to direct a film and to know that his latest, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, was as much a passion project as it was an option for the producing studio to re-make a classic title that starred Danny Kaye from the late 40's only upped my anticipation for what would hopefully turn out to be an insightful and life affirming tale of a man equally forced and scared out of the direction he once believed his life was going to take. Many people take issue with Stiller for reasons I can understand, but that mostly pertains to his acting ability, comic schtick and lack of range rather than the creative choices he makes when he is in full control. The guy can make however many Focker and Night at the Museum movies he'd like and I will still attend them because there is simply something about him and his ability to play the everyman with the right touch of comedy that appeals to me, but seems to have worn thin with many audiences. The good news here is that Stiller keeps his persona in check and the outright moments that are played for laughs to a minimum simply allowing the story to breathe. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is truly something to take on and though I have not seen the original Kaye version nor have I read the short story from James Thurber that inspired both films, it seems best to take Stiller's version on its own terms as it has modernized the themes that were likely the spirit of the original source material. I was floored by the initial trailer for this film as I had the rare experience of seeing it for the first time on a theater screen rather than on my phone or computer and with no pre-conception of what to expect. The tone, the shot selection, the music and everything else about it were sprawling yet exquisitely calculated and seemed primed to hint at a complete film that not only allowed for a bit of fantastical elements amidst the doldrums of a nine to five routine, but looked to say something akin to what we find on the inside of greeting cards without all the cheese and ingenuity. Instead, with a sense of real merit and heart; something that would speak across all kinds of racial and generational boundaries to the simple fact that life is worth living, so go out and make something of it. Stiller's film is indeed beautifully captured and delicately precise, but it never reaches the emotional heights it seemed so intent on achieving and in that regard it never truly captures the audience, but gives us more an interesting perspective than an engulfing experience.

First Trailer for THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

It is not customary anymore to see a trailer for the first time when your sitting in a theater seat as much as it is in front of your computer screen. Given the power of YouTube and the ease of access it is no wonder things have wound up this way, but I still remember the rush of excitement that came with seeing new trailers in front of movies and having no idea what they might turn out to be. In many ways I'd thought this was something lost with the internet, but I was able to experience those feelings of surprise again last weekend when I sat down for a Thursday night screening of The Wolverine. The opening trailer began and I didn't immediately recognize it, yet as soon as we saw Ben Stiller I realized what we were getting. I've always been a big fan of Stiller's and especially of his directorial works. Both Zoolander and Tropic Thunder are high caliber comedies that last and offer big laughs every time I watch them. Having had his hand in the re-make of Danny Kaye's 1947 film for some time now, it is nice to see he has really taken the time and care to perfect what looks like his most ambitious project to date. Taking a very simplistic approach the trailer lets the images do the talking as we only get a few words from Stiller and not much from anyone else. We see glimpses of both Adam Scott and Kristen Wiig and how their roles in Walter's life influence what he becomes when he drifts into the fantasy-land that creates the hook for this tale about a seemingly boring proofreader at TIME magazine. The trailer has an air of profound understanding to it, a tone that tells the audience it is a piece of art that truly hopes to move you, to make you feel something. I'm truly excited for this film and will certainly include it on my top 10 most anticipated films for the fall of 2013. It is unclear of the Award chances the film stands, but if the film delivers on what the trailer promises I wouldn't be surprised to see Stiller in the running come February. Also, bonus points for the great use of Of Monsters and Men's "Dirty Paws". The film also stars Sean Penn, Patton Oswalt, and Shirley MacLaine. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty opens on Christmas day.

YOUNG ADULT Review

It was with a sense of caution that I approached the next Diablo Cody project. I enjoyed "Juno" (who didn't?) as it gave the young, cynical, and more times than not dismissed generation a satisfyingly sarcastic voice. It tackled a subject that had become taboo and did so in a fresh light with real characters and situations, but most importantly, great dialogue. She simply tried to hard with her second effort, "Jennifer's Body" and it came out more camp than cool. When the trailers first appeared for "Young Adult" though it seemed like the good ole' mentality of snappy, black-comedy Cody was in full effect. It was also nice to see Charlize Theron getting back into the scene with nothing but a supporting role in 2008's "Hancock" filling her resume as of late. The combination of Cody's character and Theron's craft is an experiment in the human psyche. Theron's Mavis Gary is a mess, and we all realize it from the very beginning. Everyone around her knows it except for her. Mavis lives in a reality where she is to be envied and Cody does a wonderful job of making the character slowly be revealed not to the audience but to herself. It is an inverse experience, like watching a train wreck you already know will derail. Director Jason Reitman continues his winning streak with "Young Adult" even if it doesn't hit that gold standard his three previous films did.

Buddy (Patrick Wilson) admires his wife while Mavis
(Charlize Theron) seems a little jealous.

As Mavis, Theron channels her inner child, or more accurately her snobby teenager, as one of the few from her high school class that made it out of the small town of Mercury. She made it to Minneapolis and became a ghost writer for a popular teen lit series. Cody uses the job as a way of guiding us through Mavis's worldview. It is a smart technique because despite the story taking her back to the high school surroundings we are indeed given the adult Mavis. Her writing gives a glimpse of how she came to be the way she is by the point of view she gives her main character. On the day we become acquainted with her she discovers an email from her high school beau that plasters a picture of his new born baby loud and proud on her display. This makes something in Mavis snap, as if the email is a deliberate insult to her. This is the first hint there are more deep-seeded issues at work here, but Cody is careful to not say too much too early and gives Mavis enough credibility as a character for us to trust the logic she is spouting. In a moment of what you could call realization but what is probably more impulse Mavis packs up and heads for Mercury. What she actually plans to do there is something we hope she realizes is complete ludicrous upon arriving. She doesn't. Thus setting up a string of cringe-worthy moments in which she attempts to re-ignite the flame with happily married, new daddy Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson).

Watching as Mavis desperately attempts to reclaim her glory days we see a woman to which you could apply the age old lesson of money and success don't buy you happiness, which is certainly a lesson here, but it isn't given to us in a preaching manor. It is so underlying in fact it doesn't even feel like the moral of the story. "Young Adult" is instead an exercise in exploring those meanings in life that come with the goals you achieve and what they mean if you stop trying and cling to the idea of who you once were. Mavis believes she is better than everyone in her home town because she moved away and has a job that made her semi-famous. The success of her book series has long since faded and as a newly divorced 37-year old she leads a life of dates with no spark that she still sleeps with in attempts of filling a void.

An old classmate in the form of Matt Freehauf
(Patton Oswalt) serves Mavis the honest truth whether
she wants to hear it or not. 

What she needs is a good slap in the face and because her return home only gives her reason to feel better about her situation we are given the character of Matt Freehauf. As played by the always cherished Patton Oswalt, Matt is the fat geek from high school who everyone thought was gay. There is a surprisingly violent backstory to his character that allows Oswalt an even bigger advantage when serving Mavis a look at who she really is and what she has become rather than her own ideals. Oswalt, for me, is the real star of the film. Despite Theron giving a committed and funny performance Oswalt knows Matt, he has probably been in a similar situation before and the look in his eyes when he delivers each line matches perfectly. I was aware the trailer hinted to predictably at where he and Mavis's relationship might lead, but was happy to see it turn out more truthfully than cinematically. If you see the film and you know that guy Oswalt is playing, just relish in the facts that he brings to the screen. That in the end it doesn't matter who won best hair but who finds themselves in a place they are happy with twenty years later, long after their "prime" has passed.

Mavis makes a scene at her old boyfriends baby naming
ceremony.

I walked away from "Young Adult" content with the experience I had, but was not left with the same impression as Reitman's other films . Even with their sly comedic tones "Thank You For Smoking" and "Up in the Air" were insightful pieces of filmmaking that really left you with a feeling of insight, of love, and most importantly an experience. The same could be said about "Juno" as he has successfully brought Cody's words to life before. He guides the story here with a clear sense of what he is doing and what he is going for. It is somewhat of a different animal for him to tackle, but his experience with "Thank You for Smoking" is most apparent here. He approaches it with the slow, focused shots that study our protagonist rather than the quick cut editing that made "smoking" such a riot. It works though and the story has enough bite that you will be entertainingly distracted from your problems for an hour and a half but don't expect the gravitas of the previous Reitman films or the extent of wit that "Juno" held. This is a good enough partner in both's filmography but likely the most forgettable in the long run.

YOUNG ADULT Review

It was with a sense of caution that I approached the next Diablo Cody project. I enjoyed "Juno" (who didn't?) as it gave the young, cynical, and more times than not dismissed generation a satisfyingly sarcastic voice. It tackled a subject that had become taboo and did so in a fresh light with real characters and situations, but most importantly, great dialogue. She simply tried to hard with her second effort, "Jennifer's Body" and it came out more camp than cool. When the trailers first appeared for "Young Adult" though it seemed like the good ole' mentality of snappy, black-comedy Cody was in full effect. It was also nice to see Charlize Theron getting back into the scene with nothing but a supporting role in 2008's "Hancock" filling her resume as of late. The combination of Cody's character and Theron's craft is an experiment in the human psyche. Theron's Mavis Gary is a mess, and we all realize it from the very beginning. Everyone around her knows it except for her. Mavis lives in a reality where she is to be envied and Cody does a wonderful job of making the character slowly be revealed not to the audience but to herself. It is an inverse experience, like watching a train wreck you already know will derail. Director Jason Reitman continues his winning streak with "Young Adult" even if it doesn't hit that gold standard his three previous films did.