Staten Island Summer (2015)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Rhys Thomas

Cast: Graham Phillips, Zack Pearlman, John DeLuca

Running time: 107 minutes

Danny and Frank have been best friends since forever. Now, it is the last summer before Danny goes on to Harvard, and they both work as lifeguards at the same water park. Their goal is to end summer with a big bash, with their fellow employees at the water park and all of their friends. Their main idea is to score with women, but they have to contend with a boss that wants to put the kibosh on the celebrations.

Staten Island Summer is your average teen sex comedy, filled with lusty boys, party animals, prudes, loose women, clueless parents and controlling father figures. There is no room for anything but extremes and clichés here. Every character fits in a category we have seen many times before.

That being said, this 2015 comedy, that has more than its share of SNL alumnis in the cast, manages to be funny a good portion of the time. It does not reinvent the recipe, but it does a decent job of delivering a potable version of it.

Rating: «««

Little Accidents (2014)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Sara Colangelo

Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Chloë Sevigny, Josh Lucas

Running time: 105 minutes

In a small American town already devastated by a mining that left a big group of men dead, the mood only gets darker when the teenage son of the company man held responsible by many in town for the accident disappears. The boy was accidently killed in an altercation with another kid, who then hid the body in the wood to conceal his involvement. These two events will bring together the dead kid’s mother, the boy involved in his death and a former minor who survived the mining accident.

While overly dramatic at times, Little Accidents offers nonetheless a sincere look at a town dealing with dramatic events the best it can. Such situations will bring its share of conflicts, with lawyers and the likes being involved. These ordeals tend to tear people apart, and the filmmakers do a good job of showing that here.

The acting is mostly solid here, especially from Elizabeth Banks and Boyd Holbrook. This 2014 drama is to be viewed with minimal expectations, and it should be avoided if you are turned off by dreary settings.

Rating: «««

Last Weekend (2014)

Genre: Drama / Comedy

Directed by: Tom Dolby and Tom Williams

Cast: Patricia Clarkson, Zachary Booth, Joseph Cross

Running time: 94 minutes

Celia and Malcolm Green are thinking about selling their lake house in California. The matriarch, who is the definite leader of the family, invites her two sons and their entourage for a long weekend to announce their decision. Unfortunately, events unfold and things unravel, destroying all plans.

The premise of this film offered much promise, but things kind of fell apart for me in the delivery. First off, I found most of the acting performances fake and unconvincing. Also, the overly artsy look of some of the camera shots was distracting. And, I found most of the characters so annoying that I really did not care about their fate and their life going forward. That made it hard to get emotionally invested in the story. So, overall, one could say there is nothing much to redeem this film in my book.

Rating: «

Mystery Road (2013)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Ivan Sen

Cast: Aaron Pedersen, Hugo Weaving, Jack Thompson

Running time: 118 minutes

Written and directed by Ivan Sen, and set in the town of Winton, Queenland, Australia, Mystery Road tells the story of Detective Jay Swan, who investigates the death of an aboriginal teenage girl whose body was found on the side of the road.

This film has received many accolades, but, simply put, it did not resonate with me. At first, I found the Australian accent off-putting and hard to understand. By the time, I got used to it; I could not get into the story. There was something missing to truly hook me, and I’m not quite sure what it was. Maybe I simply was not in the right mood for this particular film. In any case, I did not find anything memorable to hold onto here.

Rating: «

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (2015)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Steve Pink

Cast: Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Adam Scott

Running time: 99 minutes

Lou Dorchen and Nick Webber have both benefited from their trip back in time to build successful careers and become rich and famous. When Lou gets shot in the groin during a party, Nick and Lou’s son, Jacob, bring the victim back to the hot tub to go back in time and stop the killer. But, instead of ending up in the past, they go to the future of an alternate universe, where the mystery shooter is.

The premise of this sequel is even sillier than the one of the original. They really worked hard, trying to make another soup from the leftovers of the first film, but they should not have bothered. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is fully focused on the humor, at the expense of the story and of common sense. The problem is that, with a few exceptions, the jokes are not that funny. It is no wonder really that John Cusack stayed away from this one.

Rating: ««

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Genre: Historical / Drama

Directed by: Steve McQueen

Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’O, Sarah Paulson

Running time: 134 minutes

Based on the slave narrative memoirs of Solomon Northup, 12 Years a Slave tells the story of how a free African-American man living with his wife and kids in the New York area was enslaved for over a decade. Northup, who was making a living as a violinist, was invited to perform in Washington by two white men, who then drugged him and sold him to a slave pen. It would take 12 years of hardships before he would get his freedom back. Solomon Northup would then become an advocate for the abolition of slavery.

This film is not for the faint of heart. Some scenes can be hard to take, as the violence is very graphic and feels quite real. That being said, the subject matter demanded such realism. As it was long ago, we tend to forget about the atrocity that was slavery, but, at least, a movie like 12 Years a Slave did a great job shining a bright light on it.

All of the actors involved did a solid job here carrying their respective characters. The makers of 12 Years a Slave had a loaded cast to work with, with names such as Michael Fassbender, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt. In some cases, these actors had smaller roles. Fortunately, in all cases, the appearance of these well-known actors did not feel like cameos and they did not take away from the whole package.

12 Years a Slave is a film that has to be seen, at least once, if not more. I highly recommend it.

Rating: «««««

Bad Santa 2 (2016)

Genre: Christmas / Comedy

Directed by: Terry Zwigoff

Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Kathy Bates, Christina Hendricks, Brett Kelly

Running time: 92 minutes

Many years have passed since Willie was stabbed in the back by his partner in crime Marcus. Now a free man, he gets fired from his valet parking job because of another incident in the workplace. As Willie is about to commit suicide in his apartment, Thurman Merman, who is now 21, comes in and tells him that someone has sent him money and a phone. The gift is from Marcus, who is apologetic and wants Willie to go in the crime business with him again. Marcus also has another partner also, in the person of Sunny, Willie’s estranged mother. Though he is hesitant at first, due to his hatred for the woman who gave birth to him and for the man that turned on him, Willie will be convinced to get on board to steal money from a charitable organization before Christmas.

As one could expect, this sequel to the 2003 Christmas black comedy is lewd, crude and vulgar. And, really, it is part of its charm. While not as good as the original, which remains a favorite of mine, the second one is not without charm. Sure, some of the magic was gone and a little too much emphasis was put on constant punchlines, at the expense of the story, but I was still entertained by this movie.

The role of Willie is tailor-made for Billy Bob Thornton. He did a great job in it. Kathy Bates, as the brash crooked mother figure, was an awesome addition to the cast. The lovely Christina Hendricks was also a nice touch.

Overall, Bad Santa 2 needs to be taken for what it is: A raucous black comedy not meant to make you think too hard. It doesn't feel as fresh as the original, but, if you have seen the first one and love the characters, it is worth watching for the entertainment value.

Rating: «««

About Alex (2014)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Jesse Zwick

Cast: Nate Parker, Jason Ritter, Maggie Grace, Max Greenfield

Running time: 96 minutes

A group of longtime friends from college reunites for a few days at a country house after one of them, Alex, tries to commit suicide. They are all at a sort of crossroads in their respective lives, and things are sure to unravel following the traumatic events.

In reviews, About Alex has suffered greatly from comparisons to The Big Chill. The plots are indeed quite similar.

That being said, I still enjoyed this 2014 drama greatly. The story was compelling, the acting was good and the bond between the characters, quite tenuous at times, felt quite real. Every character is very self-centered, but that is the nature of the beast with this generation.

All things considered, though it certainly does not reinvent anything storytelling-wise, About Alex is still a compelling drama about life and friendships.

Rating: ««««

Romance & Cigarettes (2005)

Genre: Musical / Romantic Comedy

Directed by: John Turturro

Cast: James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi

Running time: 105 minutes

Set in the modern day working class New York City, this musical tells the story of Nick Murder, a man whose marriage to his wife Kitty Kane is on the rocks after she finds out about his affair with another woman, named Tula. Nick is now torn between his passion for Tula and the family life with his wife.

This movie, which was written and directed by John Turturro, a talented actor in his own right, reunites a great ensemble cast on screen. With names such as James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Aida Turturro and many more, a lot of talent was on the set.

With the cast involved, and the music in the soundtrack, which was great, I so wanted to love this movie. Unfortunately, I did not. The premise was compelling, but I found the way they brought the story to life on screen silly and hard to follow. In spite of all the talent involved, this film never really captivated me. I kept tuning it out. In the end, it was a big disappointment to me.

Rating: ««

Poltergeist 3 (1988)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Gary Sherman

Cast: Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen, Heather O’Rourke, Lara Flynn Boyle

Running time: 98 minutes

After her recent bouts with malevolent spirits looking to take her away, young Carol Anne Freeling has been sent by her parents to live with her aunt and uncle in Chicago. But, as you would expect, the evil spirit of Reverend Kane still manages to find the young girl and he still needs her, so her purity can lead him into the light.

The scariest thing about this horror film is the sight of young Heather O’Rourke. She was sick during the shooting of this film and it showed. Her face was all bloated and she did not seem well at all. Sadly, she passed away months before the release of the film, due to intestinal issues.

The rest of the movie is so bad it is laughable. The script is horrible and the acting is putrid. Zelda Rubinstein worked well in small doses in the first film, but she was given more and more lines to deliver in the two sequels, and it did not go well. The rest of the cast was not much better. Julian Beck had died, so the character of Reverend Henry Kane was portrayed on screen by Nathan Davis and looked totally cartoonish. That was unfortunate, as Kane was the only highlight in the bleak second Poltergeist movie.

All things considered, this film should be avoided at all costs.

Rating: «