Traded (2016)

Genre: Western

Directed by: Timothy Woodward Jr.

Cast: Kris Kristofferson, Trace Adkins, Michael Paré

Time: 98 minutes

Clay Travis is a retired gunslinger living as a rancher with his wife and two kids. After the family’s 17 year old daughter runs away to Wichita and ends up being sold as a prostitute and sent to Dodge City, the father goes back to his gunslinging ways to get her back.

The story itself is fine. It reminds me of the Taken trilogy, but set in the Old West, where women were openly sold as property. Some of the violent scenes were well done and managed to build tension. It was also a treat to see Kris Kristofferson again on screen. The problem is that the acting and the dialogues were bad, so very bad. It was atrocious and cringeworthy. And some of the characters were so over-the-top, they felt like a caricature of what they were meant to be.

In spite of its few bright spots, this film could easily be skipped without worrying about missing much.

Rating: ««

Bill Maher: The Decider (2007)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: John Moffitt

Cast: Bill Maher

Time: 60 minutes

Live on stage from the Berklee Performance Center, in Boston, comedian Bill Maher performed for the crowd in an HBO comedy special largely focused, as the title would tell you, on George W. Bush and his government. Bush Jr. was an easy target for comics at that point, and Maher spared no effort to roast him well. He said it was out of love, but I highly doubt that.

In The Decider, Bill Maher also discusses such topics as sex, the war in Iraq, lobbying, prescription drugs and religion. These are the usual subject matters for Maher, and he masters them well. This is a comedy show with many strong moments.

Rating: ««««

The Comedian (2016)

Genre: Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Taylor Hackford

Cast: Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito, Harvey Keitel

Time: 119 minutes

Jackie Burke is an aging stand-up comic with a bad attitude. He keeps trying to adapt and stay relevant, but all people want from him is that one character he played in a sitcom years before. After an altercation with a fan in a comedy club, he has to spend a month in jail and do some community service. While volunteering at a soup kitchen, he meets a younger woman who is also going through personal issues. The two will strike up a relationship that promises to be as complicated as anything in Jackie Burke’s life.

Critics trashed this film but I liked it. It rang true to what many comedians go through, probably in large part to Jeff Ross’ involvement in writing the screenplay. Even if I’m a huge fan, I had my doubts when I saw that De Niro was cast in the lead role. I was pleasantly surprised. He did a great job. Leslie Mann, on the other hand, was pretty much as one-note as usual. It was also a nice touch to see DeVito and Keitel again, and to see comics like Billy Crystal playing themselves.

Overall, this film managed to pull me in and entertain me while it lasted.

Rating: ««««

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Penelope Spheeris

Cast: Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Chris Holmes

Time: 93 minutes

The second installment in the Decline of Western Civilization trilogy covers the Los Angeles heavy metal music scene of the late 1980’s. We hear comments from such artists as Lemmy, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and the members of Poison. There are also multiple musical performances by the following bands: Lizzy Borden, Faster Pussycat, Seduce, London, Odin and Megadeth.

Two interviews stand out from the others in this documentary. First, there is the well-known interview a drunken Chris Holmes gave sitting in his pool, fully decked in leather, drinking vodka and coming off as bitter and sad, all the while his mother watched from the side of the pool. It has since been said that it was pool water and not vodka he poured all over his face. The second one is Paul Stanley, from Kiss, being interviewed while lying on a bed surrounded by groupies.

While part 1 of the trilogy felt really raw and honest, this one felt a little more staged. Spheeris even admitted to staging some stuff with Holmes and Ozzy, amongst others. The tone is also a bit different in the second film. You cannot help feeling sad for all those aspiring metal artists who had no backup plan then and haven’t made it today. At least, it is good to see that Chris Holmes cleaned up his act and got sober.

In spite of its flaws, this documentary is a must-see. There are some really funny parts and some sad ones, but it is a compelling look at a musical genre I love.

Rating: ««««

Bill Maher: Live from D.C. (2014)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Troy Miller

Cast: Bill Maher, Michael Moore, Keith Olberman

Time: 61 minutes

After doing a broadcast of Real Time with Bill Maher from a hall in Washington, D.C., the political comic made his way, under police escort, to another theater in the same city to shoot another HBO special, all the while, in the theater, Michael Moore and Keith Olberman were commentating on Maher’s approach and arrival.

In this comedy special shot in 2014, Bill Maher discusses the Obama government, the upcoming midterm elections, the Republicans and his battles with then potential candidate Donald Trump. These are all familiar topics for Maher, but he follows daily events so he always manages to keep it fresh. Most of the material is very solid. This is a good comedy show.

Rating: ««««

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

Genre: Biographical / Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Cast: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman

Time: 112 minutes

Based on Kim Barker’s memoirs, titled The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot tells the story of a television journalist who accepts a temporary assignment as a war correspondent in Afghanistan.

I think this film greatly suffered from confusion in genre. It is as if the filmmakers were trying to be serious and funny all at the same time and did not manage to be fully successful on either side of the coin. There were some moments that were quite funny, if you like dry humor (and I do). There were also some touching moments. But, overall, there was something missing.

Tina Fey was decent in her role, though her strong suits were not fully used in this film.

All things considered, this film was just okay. Not bad, but not great either.

Rating: «««

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Penelope Spheeris

Cast: Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Catholic Discipline, Fear, Germs, X

Time: 100 minutes

Shot over the course of 1979 and 1980, this first installment of the Decline of Western Civilization trilogy deals with the punk rock scene of Los Angeles, which was big thing at that point. We hear performances from such bands as Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Catholic Discipline, Fear, Germs and X. Various band members are also interviewed, sharing their views. The team of Slash magazine, punk fans and club owners were also interviewed.

This film is a wonderful snapshot of a very important subculture of the early 1980’s that was not getting much attention from the mainstream. It is raw, violent, vulgar and dirty, just like punk rock naturally is. Though I’m not a punk at heart, I’ve always appreciated the music, which is fast and rugged and has something to say.

Rating: «««««

Bill Maher...But I'm not Wrong (2010)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: John Moffitt

Cast: Bill Maher

Time: 79 minutes

Taking the stage in Raleigh, North Carolina, Bill Maher did what he does best in this particular comedy special: He shared his views, in a comedic way, about such topics as Democrats vs Republicans, religion, drugs and sex. Most of the material did hit the mark, which is all you can ask for; though some of the stuff might escape your grasp if you’re not up on events from that moment in time (it was the beginning of the Obama years). The crowd was heavily on Maher’s side, and the comic even managed to make himself laugh, which he seems to do a lot. Overall, a very good stand-up comedy show, with very few weak spots.

Rating: ««««

Snowden (2016)

Genre: Biographical / Thriller

Directed by: Oliver Stone

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shalene Woodley, Melissa Leo

Time: 134 minutes

This film tells the story of how former CIA employee and US government contractor, Edward Snowden, leaked classified information from the NSA to reveal multiple global surveillance programs. In the film, we go back and forth between a clandestine meeting Snowden set with a documentary filmmaker and a journalist from The Guardian in a Hong Kong hotel room to discuss the leakage of classified information and the path that led the former CIA employee to that point.

One of this film’s greatest strengths is the leading performance of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He manages to make you forget the actor and believe in the character. It is clear to see, once we see the real Edward Snowden towards the end of the film, that the actor did a solid job. On a side note, seeing the actual Snowden was a nice touch. Most of the supporting cast was also good, though I found Nicolas Cage and Timothy Olyphant to be weird choices for their respective roles.

I had my doubts about this film, since Oliver Stone was involved. When it comes to true events, I know he doesn’t like to let facts get in the way of a good story. That being said, I think that, considering the sensitive subject matter he had to deal with here and its freshness in all of our minds, he decided to play it safe.

Rating: ««««

John Mellencamp: Plain Spoken From The Chicago Theatre (2018)

Genre: Documentary

Cast: John Mellencamp

Time: 80 minutes

This musical documentary offers a live concert performed by John Mellencamp and his band from October 2016, at the Chicago Theatre, with special guest Carlene Carter. All through the show, Mellencamp himself, through voice-over, discusses everything from his upbringing, his life, his vision of things and his music.

I so wanted to love this documentary. I have been a fan of Mellencamp for years and I had high expectations. In the end, all I felt was profound disappointment. What is the point of showing footage from a concert if we’re not going to hear half of it? It felt like watching a movie with someone who will not shut up. No matter how interesting the things Mellencamp were saying (it sometimes was quite interesting), I felt like I was missing something because I wanted to hear the songs. There was even a case when he was talking over himself telling a story on stage to introduce a song. It all felt so counter-productive.

Rating: ««