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The To Do List (2013)
Add this to your 'To Do List' this summer!
I was eagerly waiting to watch this movie ever since I first watched its trailer. Thankfully, I was able to catch a screening last Thursday and I can safely say it did not disappoint. The To Do List starring Aubrey Plaza and directed by Maggie Carey is a fine coming of age story of a teenage girl minus any drama whatsoever. It's not something which is new but the difference being in the execution.
Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) is a teenager who just finished with her high school and is about to enter college. She is a straight-A getter and an overachiever at school but isn't a favorite among her peers. The opening scene where Brandy is called upon the stage to give a speech and is subsequently is booed out by the crowd makes it pretty much evident that she is not much liked in the school. Wendy (Sarah Steel) and Fiona (Alia Shawkat) are her two best buddies who are the only people she hangs out with. She is friends with Cameron (Johnny Simmons), who is also her classmate and is totally in love with Brandy. Now, one thing I particularly liked about Brandy's character here is that despite her not being a crowd favorite, she does not lack confidence or self-esteem for which the writer needs to be credited as they could have easily made her a clichéd depressed character where people would feel sorry for her, which is not the case. Wendy and Fiona, take Brandy to a graduation party where she falls for Rusty Waters (Scott Porter) and subsequently she makes a 'to do list' of all the co-curricular activities she missed out in high school which she wants to complete before entering college in order to be desirable and to win over Rusty Waters.
Brandy realizes the need to add more sexual experiences to her resume and to lose her virginity in the summer before she enters college. I loved the tone of this movie; it touches upon important and pertinent topics such as the need for parents to educate their children regarding sexual issues, the dilemma a teenager faces in understanding the difference between infatuation and love, but never once being preachy or emotional but consistently delivering laughs throughout. It's a breath of fresh air in terms of the concept to see a girl fantasize and sexually crave for a person of the opposite sex wherein generally we have seen males do so. (American Pie for instance and so many other sex comedies) Also, the movie is set in 1993 and one can see the attention to detailing to bring out that feel on screen in the billboards, Brandy's dressing, her glasses, her mannerisms. I'm not sure why the makers opted for an old setting but most probably because this topic relates more to those times. The manner in which Brandy meticulously makes up her 'to do list' and also regularly ticks off her completed tasks, is something which underlines her A-grader nature, and shows the clarity the makers had when they actually wrote the character. One particularly gross but equally hilarious moment is the swimming pool scene where Willy (Bill Hader) is the manager and also is Brandy's supervisor at a local swimming pool where she worked during her summer break and being a newbie, she falls for her coworker's pranks. One instance, she decides otherwise and ends up eating potty in the swimming pool. Another scene, where the girls send a boy to spy over men's conversation and the men also do the same is hilarious.
Audrey Plaza gets brownie points for superbly playing the vulnerable yet confident Brandy Klark, something which was missing in her previous performances. The supporting actors pitch in and give a noteworthy performance and the pick of the lot for me would be Bill Hader as Will, the manager of a swimming pool who does not know how to swim and Johnny Simmons as the friend in love who realizes he is just a mere tool for Brandy to complete her 'to do' list. The director, Maggie Carey's handling of the subject which impressed me the most never once loosing track of the main character in focus. It does get a little tedious towards the end but its little to cry over in this thoroughly entertaining film.
It's a definite must watch for all those sex comedy fans out there. It's American Pie minus nudity (at least not in the version I saw) and with a character driven plot. I wouldn't recommend watching this movie with parents but its best enjoyed with your friends. A big thumbs up!
My Rating: 8/10
The Way Way Back (2013)
The script's a winner here!
This is precisely the reason why we go to the movies. Every time the lights go off in the theaters, you witness a motion picture, to which you attach yourself for those two odd hours, you laugh with the characters, you cry, feel pain and you live in the movie. One experiences a plethora of emotions every time and that's the magic of movies for you, they have the power to transform you in their own little world. The Way, Way Back does just that, by bringing forth flesh and blood characters, people who may be your next door neighbors, someone in your family or someone you've seen at some point of time in your life. It's such a delight to witness a beautiful coming of age story,rooted with relatable characters and rock solid writing that it's hard not to fall in love with this little gem.
The story revolves around Duncan (Liam James), a teenager low on confidence, self-esteem and fails to strike a conversation with people, a sort of an anti-social.The first scene, nicely establishes the uncomfortable relationship Duncan shares with his mother's boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell), when he asks him how he would rate himself on a scale of ten. Duncan, played superbly by Liam James, conveys a lot through his expressions and his presence. The scene where he accompanies his sister to the beach where she asks her to maintain a distance is a fantastic scene where you learn a lot about what's going on in Duncan's mind through his sitting posture, his style of walking and the way he fails to even maintain an eye contact while talking. It's such a finely written character with great attention given to the little nuances and finely played by Liam James that it's hard not to root for Duncan. He avoids being in the house most of the time and wanders around the new place on an old bicycle where her mom, his boyfriend and his step-sister along with him have come to spend the summers. He finds a friend in Owen (Sam Rockwell), who is a manager in a water park nearby, which becomes his hermit place for the summer. During that period of time, he gradually finds his voice and his inner self which help him gain confidence and self-esteem. The movie moves smoothly between its central theme as well as its subplots involving his family, and never once deviating. Even the supporting characters are so well etched out, such as Duncan's mother, who is well aware of the on goings but chooses to keep mum. Watch out for that powerful scene wherein Duncan's mother explains to him that at this stage of her life she needs someone to be with her, which pretty much explains her state of mind. Steve Carell is superb as Trent, who can't or doesn't care much about Duncan's state of mind and feelings. The Way, Way Back simply put, is simple storytelling at its best. It reminded me of a Hindi movie, Udaan, which draws parallels in one aspect i.e. a coming of age story of a young boy. Beautifully handled by director duo Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Way, Way Back is definitely a must watch, a movie that remains etched long after the lights come back on. Highly recommended!
The Heat (2013)
Melissa McCarthy just about makes it work!
It's a tough ask to review movies such as The Heat which releases in cinemas this weekend, primarily because you know you had a good time but still feel something missing. Starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in lead roles, The Heat is a perfect example of a movie that is entertaining and hilarious but at the same time fails in the basic core aspects of filmmaking. There is a word I use for such movies "Guilty pleasure", as in when you indulge in a slice of cake you know it tastes awesome but you are not getting any healthier.
So you have and FBI Special agent, Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) based in New York, who has a neat track record, loves her job, but has a tough time in getting along with her fellow officers. She has her eye on a well-deserved promotion but her boss thinks otherwise. He sends her to Boston in order to bring down a drug lord in order to get a promotion. Enter, Mullins (Melissa McCarthy), a reckless Boston cop having little regard for rules who has to team up with Ashburn in finishing up the job. Some of the film's best moments come when these two share the screen and their chemistry is just electrifying. They start off on a wrong note but gradually get along during the course of time. The entire movie revolves around this slim plot and relies heavily on the two leads who thankfully don't disappoint a bit. In fact, its just because of them the film works to an extent, else would have fallen flat on its face. The subplots don't work and feel a half baked effort but it's the humor that's nicely interwoven in the screenplay at regular intervals which keeps the momentum going. The track involving Mullin's brother, Ashburn's lonely present don't have the depth which you expect from such scenes but I'm guessing that's definitely not the trump card the makers are playing with. Also, the drug-lord angle is laughable and is just plain stupid. The biggest pluses in this movie are the dialogues and acting. McCarthy is in super form and fits the bill perfectly as the cussy, reckless cop who infuses life in this movie, quite frankly it's hard to imagine someone else in the role. Bullock, the more seasoned actor of the two looks at ease and seems to enjoy her part as the cop on a mission. There are some scenes which remain with you after you've left the theater such as the scene where Mullins learns that she must report to Ashburn and she shows up at her boss's office and tries to find his balls (sarcasm intended). Also, the scene where Mullins goes after this teenager from the neighborhood after she unintentionally catches her smoking drugs. These are easily some of the film's most hilarious scenes. Overall, The Heat is the sort of a movie you watch on a lazy Saturday afternoon with your friends. It'll make you laugh, and will also have you in splits at times but it will not stay with you for a long time. Sometimes, it doesn't hurt much to indulge in a piece of delicious Chocolate cake but its important to remember, only sometimes!
My Rating: 6.5 /10
The Lone Ranger (2013)
Depp shines, The Lone Ranger entertains!
Quite frankly, I was highly skeptical on attending the screening of the hugely anticipated Johnny Depp, Arnie Hammer starrer The Lone Ranger, primarily because I am not such a huge fan of western movies plus a runtime clocking almost 150 minutes seemed to long to handle. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try owing to the Depp factor and the director, Gore Verbinsky who has a pretty neat track record as a director.I haven't actually seen The Lone Ranger T.V series which aired from 1949-1957, so I pretty much knew nothing about the characters as such and went in with a clean slate, which in my opinion is a good thing as it removed unwarranted comparisons and biasness.
Settling down in my seat and 10 minutes into the movie, I was hooked on. A spectacular opening scene, where the outlaws make away with their chief held captive and being transported on a train. The scene introduces us to the principal characters of the movie namely Tonto (Johnny Depp), John Reid (Arnie Hammer) and Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner). Verbinsky establishes his characters smoothly and seamlessly throughout the narrative which is definitely one of the high points of the movie. The entire story unfolds as Tonto, recounts the tales of his journey and how John Reid becomes The Lone Ranger. The two form an uncanny team to bring Cavendish to justice, each in his own manner. John believes in non-violence and the court of law and Tonto is just the opposite. The two share an electrifying chemistry and Depp gets his comic timing spot on as the quirky Tonto. Tonto, belongs to a native American warrior tribe, who feels responsible for the death of his fellow men and his family owing to a trade he made with two white Americans he saved from certain death when he was a child. John seeks revenge from Cavendish as he is responsible for the death of his ill-fated brother Dan Reid.(James Badge Dale).
Inspite of its length, the movie never drags or feels lethargic at any point of time, instead it provides a good dose of laughter at regular intervals and Depp shines in those scenes. The scenes where the Native American, trades a feather or grains for everything he steals from dead people or the scene where the white stallion chooses John over his brother, and Tonton repeatedly tries to force the stallion to switch the selection, Depp is just fantastic.
Depp rises above his co-stars with his impeccable comic timing and one liners. The best facet to his character is the fact that he is so unpredictable. You never know what is he going to do next. Arnie Hammer pitches in an earnest performance and nicely complements Depp. Despite, all its triumphs it does have a couple of blemishes. It's understandable that the entire writing revolved around the two principal characters, John and Tonto and I'm guessing due to the focus on these two characters some other supporting characters got sidelined. The sub plot involving Rebecca (Ruth Wilson) and her relationship with John is half baked and is not well developed. Similarly, Helena Bonham Carter as Red Harrington is unconvincing as the deadly leggie and neither does her character get enough screen time leave a mark.
Barring the two minor hiccups, The Lone Ranger overall is a fine movie which is high on entertainment value. I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone who seeks a good time at the movies. Fun guaranteed!
White House Down (2013)
Overblown, senseless and mind numbing not worth the price of a ticket!
I managed to catch an advance screening of this Roland Emmerich directed flick in the theaters last Tuursday. I particularly did not have any high expectations going into this movie partly because the director's previous duds and also because the trailer didn't particularly excite me. But, one thing Emmerich does is that he always mounts his films on a grand scale and I'm guessing most of you will agree with me on that. Be it, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow or 2012, you will always see a grand spectacle unfolding with a larger than life projection, and White House Down is not much different in that aspect.
So you have John Cale (Channing Tatum) vying for his dream job with the Secret Service protecting the President of United States (Jamie Foxx) for which he takes along his high on political IQ, daughter Emily (Joey King) for an interview in the White House. As indicated by the title of the movie, the timing could not have been any better as within minutes the building is taken down and held hostage by heavily armed in-house terrorists, who have their own personal agendas on mind. The initial scenes manage to get your attention with some nicely executed scenes of the siege of the most important building of the world. But alas, its all downhill from here. Clearly, this is not the place to ask for reasoning and logic. An event of such a magnitude, needs to have a very strong intent but when the purpose is gradually revealed you seem to feel simply let down and you seem to ask this question "Do the makers feel their audience is so stupid?" None of the characters stand out. I'm not asking a Joker show here but at least the antagonist needs to have his motive clear. Twists appear completely out of the blue, I mean it should be a good thing but there should always be a good justification so that all the bits and pieces join together to make the twist believable. Simply saying how would you react if Alfred from the Batman trilogy turned out to be the villain in the last scene.
Movies in which action does most of the talking, need to have deep rooted and believable characters, and this starts from the writing stage till the final casting but unfortunately this is one of the weakest aspects of the movie. I mean a simple way to gauge that would be to ask yourself, how badly you want the villain killed or the love story to end on a positive note or the leading man bash up the antagonist in the final act. In this movie, I felt none of those. I couldn't care less about any of the characters on screen, whatever happens I just want the lights back on ASAP, and that's not a good sign for any movie. On a positive note, you take back a couple of characters like Donnie (the guide) and Emily (Cale's daughter). Nicolas Wright as Donnie, the guide taking visitors on a trip inside the White House gets his timing right in most of the comic scenes he has particularly in the scene where Emily answers his questions beforehand or the scene where he takes a dig at blowing of White House in Roland's previous film Independence Day.
That's the only thing you take back from an otherwise overblown, out rightly dumb and a flat film which offers nothing new only other that the White House being blown to bits. At a runtime of almost 130 minutes, it feels long, tiring and chances are it'll leave you with a migraine. I would definitely not recommend it to anyone, it's not worth the price of a ticket. Grab a DVD cuddle up in your couch and watch the Independence Day again, it'll definitely be the two hours well spent.