THE LAZARUS EFFECT Review

The Lazarus Effect feels like it should be a cheap horror film. It is the end of February, there hasn't been much of a marketing scheme and it tops out at a brisk hour and twenty-three minutes. With those factors taken into consideration I wondered what might have drawn the likes of talent such as Olivia Wilde and Mark Duplass to the project not to mention a supporting cast that includes Evan Peters and Donald Glover. There had to be a little something more to this if not for names of this stature to get involved, but for the fact these names usually represent some kind of interesting tendencies. Duplass especially as not only does the guy star in an outright hilarious sitcom, but has written, directed and starred in more than a handful of very indie-feeling films that generally receive good reviews. So, what was it about this very obvious-looking genre film that made it acceptable for each of these actors to dip out of their known niche and into something that might otherwise come off a little second-rate? Well, for starters there is the fact it comes to us courtesy of director David Gelb who made Jiro Dreams of Sushi which was a rather acclaimed documentary four years ago and was co-penned by Jeremy Slater who was picked up to write the Fantastic Four re-boot for Josh Trank. Coming at the film from this more optimistic perspective one can see early on what the attraction might have been for the actors. Most who come to the art form of acting likely have more consistent existential crises than the majority of us and The Lazarus Effect gets the point across fairly quickly that it wants to mess around with some big questions whether it is ready for the big answers or not. There is discussion about the after-life, metaphoric implications of what exists after we die might mean as represented by the lives we lead as well as good ol' talk about the precautions of playing God in a laboratory. The good is there is plenty of interesting topics to latch onto here, the bad is that the film doesn't give itself room to breathe and really explore any of its topics much less focus on a main thought.

FOCUS Review

I faced something of a conundrum with Focus as I was really rooting for it and yet I'm wondering if I enjoyed the film more because it wasn't as all over the board as it seemed to be or if it's because it's genuinely pretty fun. There is also the case of Will Smith. Smith is one of those personalities I feel like I've known my entire life and that I've grown up with. And like many, I've acquired an affinity for the actor/rapper over the years and have been happy to support him in his mega-stardom and remain hopeful when he delivers bombs like After Earth. If anything, anyone who is, was or might still be a Smith fan was looking to Focus to redeem our hope in big Willie's style and get the guy back on track, back to where he needed to be both at this point in his life and career. For me, that was the aura surrounding this film and it felt good because Smith had never looked cleaner and the film had all the same slick edges to it that seemed to match Smith pound for pound in its style. Written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Crazy Stupid Love) these guys are the first ones in what seems like too long that actually know how to use Smith in what he does best. In Focus there are plenty of pretty people wearing what are no doubt outrageously expensive clothing in exotic locations, but it is the confidence of Smith not only in his appearance, but in the way he conducts himself and his ability to portray all of that effortlessly with a sense of cool to match that keeps him our main point of, well, focus. And so, despite being concerned I was coming at the film from something of a biased perspective (though really, I have no reason to) I can't help but feel it follows through on what it promised in that it's a stylish con man thriller in the vein of not only pulling one over on its characters, but the audience as well in that they're too self-aware to go for the "one con to end them all" scheme, but that they instead get away with as many twists and turns as they do while coming out unscathed with audiences who are seemingly hip to their game. In a movie that is so much fun to watch with characters so attractive and interesting one is literally unable to take their eyes off the screen.

First Trailer for LOVE & MERCY

I'm a sucker for music biopics and it looks like I might be a little spoiled this summer. Besides the N.W.A. film, Straight Outta Compton, closing out the summer movie season on August 15th we will also have director Bill Pohlad's film about The Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson. The film premiered to great reviews last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival and I have been anxious to hear and see more about the film and today we have our first teaser. You would have to have been living under a rock your entire life to not know or at least recognize one of The Beach Boys songs. They are beyond distinct and the reason behind their multiple hits and unique sound is Brian Wilson. Wilson is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and influential creative forces in popular music by critics and musicians alike for the creation of The Beach Boys 1966 album "Pet Sounds", but what many may not know is that the musician suffered from multiple nervous breakdowns and deteriorating mental health all-around throughout the 70's and 80's. This state of being led to Wilson's contributions to The Beach Boys diminishing with his erratic behavior ultimately leading to tensions within the band. In Pohlad's film, Wilson is played in two different time periods by Paul Dano and John Cusack that helps chronicle the rise of Wilson's unorthodox approach to song composition and arrangement to his older, more turbulent times within his own mind. Love & Mercy also stars Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti, Jake Abel, Kenny Wormald, Tyson Ritter and opens on June 5th.

On DVD & Blu-Ray: February 24, 2015

2015 Academy Award Winners & Round-Up

It is easy, as a member of an unofficial community of online film lovers, to forget that the majority of America and some parts of the rest of the world tune into the Oscars in order to see some of the most famous movie stars on the planet act like normal people and reward themselves or better yet, recognize the best of what they had to offer, from the previous year in the art of motion pictures. I anxiously awaited this years ceremony though as there were some interesting match-ups and undetermined winners as well as Neil Patrick Harris hosting the occasion. NPH started out strong with the expected musical number featuring guest spots by the ever game Anna Kendrick and Jack Black, but his hosting duties quickly fell into that of reading obvious and ill-timed jokes off cue cards and going on about a lockbox that didn't amount to much of a punch line. There were no selfie or pizza moments to be had this year and the energy of the festivities suffered greatly for it. With little energy to feed off and the understanding that the Academy Awards have come to mean little more than a game of politics and/or who has the best backers promoting their films the only real thing to look forward to were the possibilities of upsets and the eventual crowing of either Birdman or Boyhood as the big winner of the year. There were a few surprises, a few nice speeches, some solid musical performances and one or two NPH jokes that actually landed (I genuinely laughed at the Travolta one) while Travolta was again prone to creeping us all out (get your hand off her face, bro!). I'll go through my predictions and what I guessed right and wrong, where I wished I would have been wrong, why I was happy to be wrong a few times as well as go through the full list of the winners after the jump.