Movie Review: THAT AWKWARD MOMENT

THAT AWKWARD MOMENT
Director: Tom Gormican
Starring: Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis, Jessica Lucas

Thank God I enjoy these three actors because these types of "bromance" movies can be a bit much. Mikey (Jordan) is probably the most successful one of our guys. He works as a full time doctor and seemed to have it all. He got married at a really young age, and now his wife Vera (Lucas) wants a divorce and is sleeping with her lawyer. His two best friends Jason (Efron) and Daniel (Teller) are still living the single life and are excited to have their bro back. It is time for the boys to be boys again. All three seem to have successful jobs as Jason and Daniel both work as illustrators for book jackets. In the evening they typically spend the night with their other friend Chelsea (Davis) at the local bar or club hitting on a variety of girls looking for a little action or potential girlfriend. In the mornings, they get coffee and breakfast and discuss the previous evening's shenanigans. One of Jason's latest hook-ups asks the "So...?" question wondering where their relationship is going. He does not even realize they were in a relationship. The guys decide to set some rules for their "bro-code" where they decide to just spend some time enjoying the single life.

For these three good looking young men, that plan lasts about two hot seconds. Jason's one-night stand with Ellie (Poots) turns into a romance after some awkward encounters later on. Daniel and Chelsea decide to take their friendship to the next level after spending many nights where she gets other girls to notice him. Mikey decides to try to make it work with Vera by adding some romance back into their relationship. All three of these new relationships are kept secret as no one wants to admit to breaking their pact.

Zac Efron has been making a variety of edgier and more adult films with a wide variety of characters as he desperately tries to shed his High School Musical/Disney image. He was completely miscast in The Lucky One while Parkland and The Paperboy did not leave lasting impressions on anyone. Efron acts as producer here as well and has finally found a project that fits where he is at as an actor. The role actually fits in his age bracket and seems suitable for his image. Miles Teller had a great 2013 with indie hit The Spectacular Now and has a few more big hits coming this year. Michael B. Jordan gave one of my favorite performances of last year in the heavy hitting Fruitvale Station. I will watch him in anything. All three of them are very different actors and types so at first it may seem like an odd combination for three best friends, but the combination works quite well. They have great chemistry together and each of their roles are suited to them.

I do not think the script is as original and funny as it wants to be. There is some good back and forth banter between the guys as they are always trying to top each other with one-liners and witty quips knocking the other one's manhood or guilty pleasures. Even though it has it's funny moments, the majority of it is quite predictable. I know I should not be expecting plot twists or anything like that, but even some of the predicaments and dialogue is standard for these types of movies. Of course the Efron character is going to make some bone-headed choices. You know he will try some elaborate scheme to woo the girl. I do give it some credit for not giving in and making it a total gross-out comedy. The film focuses on the ups and downs in the relationships that these guys have. Yes, there are penis jokes but it is not as obnoxious and forced as some other comedies are these days. That type of humor does come with single straight guys in their twenties so some of it is a bit expected.

That Awkward Moment feels like a mix of American Pie meets "Sex and the City" and is probably catered toward young men in their early twenties as its core audience. I am not that demographic anymore, so I do not think I enjoyed it as much as some of the other audiences members I saw it with did. There were a few times where the audience was just rolling with laughter. It is probably funnier if you are currently living the same life these characters are, which I am not. That is not to say it is a dumb movie. Despite the film being on the predictable side, it is mildly entertaining due to Efron, Jordan, and Teller. All three feel suited to their characters quite well. Sure these guys may make stupid decisions from time to time, but they are all seem real and genuine to what guys in their twenties are probably like these days. Imogen Poots and Mackenzie Davis are charming as well and should not go unnoticed despite it being a "guys" movie. This ensemble gives the movie more life and energy than the fairly average script has in store.

RATING: *** (3 out of 5 stars)

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER--The 2013 Full Uncensored Actors Roundtable

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER--The 2013 Full Uncensored Actors Roundtable

It’s award season which means another set of roundtable discussions from The Hollywood Reporter with the actors, actresses, directors, producers, and writers garnering praise for their films. As an actor myself, I love watching them discuss the ups and downs of their careers, what inspires them, what excites them in a project, and what scares them. Up first is The Actors segment featuring:

Josh Brolin, Labor Day
Jake Gyllenhall, Prisoners
Michael B. Jordan, Fruitvale Station
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Forest Whitaker, Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Don’t forget to check back in as I will continue to post these roundtables as they are released.

Movie Rewind: CHRONICLE (2012)

CHRONICLE
Director: Josh Trank
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell, Michael Kelly, Bo Petersen

If you are getting sick of found footage movies, Chronicle may not be your cup of tea. I will say that this filming technique is used far better here than in most movies. Andrew (DeHaan) has recently bought a video camera and decides to start filming everything going on his in life. From shots of his ill mother to his life at school, anyone and anything will be caught on camera. He is already considered a bit odd at school and the constant filming is not helping his cause. Apparently, no one wants to be filmed, especially during cheerleading practice.

The only ones that seems to take an interest in Andrew and his camera are his cousin Matt (Russell) and Steve (Jordan) who is running for school president. Matt and Steve found a mysterious hole in the ground and want Andrew to film their jump into the hole. What lies beneath the ground is an unexplainable force that ends up giving the boys special telekinetic powers.

The guys start testing out their powers to see what kind of objects they can move and how far they can go with their abilities. Like many teenagers they are a bit too cocky for their own good and must learn from their consequences. We have seen characters in comic book movies suffer the same dilemmas. The central characters must decide to somehow find control and know when they are using their powers for good or for evil.

The idea of found footage and shooting the movie from the point of view of a video cameras is fully executed down to each scene. Sometimes movies of this type use this technique in a few scenes or the photography is too shaky or the filmmakers try to scare you into thinking it is real and "untouched" footage. You will not find any of that here. Director Josh Trank places the camera and actors at the proper levels to carry it off successfully without it seeming hokey or unrealistic. Whether one of the boys is holding the camera or it is stationary, the cinematography works well. You will notice mirrors used throughout and other side characters holding the camera in order to capture some of the other actors and different points of view other than Andrew's.

For a first time director, Trank has executed a pretty sharp film that is smart, sleek, and to the point. The film is only 85 minutes as Trank keeps the tension escalating at a pretty quick pace. Much of this is also due to the creative script by Max Landis. Landis is the son of director John Landis who brought us such classics as National Lampoon’s Animal House, An American Werewolf in London, and The Blues Brothers. This is also the first full length feature for Landis. He blends the worlds of the hand held camera/found footage movies and super hero movies together without ever feeling too pretentious or serious about it. Many super hero movies lately are being set in a more realistic society, but Gotham is still Gotham and Metropolis is still Metropolis. Chronicle has that approach of setting the story in a very realistic society by giving these everyday teenagers powers, but it has a different feel to it. I like how he uses teenagers as the protagonists to delve into the consequences of what happens to them after they realize the full potential of their newly found powers. Teenagers do not seem smart enough or mature enough to understand all of the risks involved. There were some surprising twists and shocking moments that left me aghast as I was surprised they would “go there” with the story.

I missed this when it first arrived in theaters, but I was drawn back to it due to stars Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan. They both have had exceptional performances in 2013. DeHaan played the son to Bradley Cooper in The Place Beyond the Pines. He was absolutely riveting and reminded me of a young Leonardo DiCaprio. Jordan knocked me over with his heartbreaking performance as Oscar Grant in Fruitvale Station. These two are definitely actors we need to keep an eye on.

RATING: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: FRUITVALE STATION

FRUITVALE STATION
Writer/Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Chad Michael Murray

Alright, members of the Academy, pay attention to young actor Michael B. Jordan. He is simply incredible as Oscar Grant III. The film is based on a true story, and the tone of the movie is set right away as we watch footage from a cell phone camera of the policy brutality against the real life Grant and his friends by the Bay Area Rapid Transit officers. If you have heard anything about the story of Oscar Grant III, you know the outcome of that evening left a mark on history.

The majority of the story takes place in the twenty-four hours leading up to the incident at Fruitvale station. Oscar has had a bit of a troubled past but is trying to refocus his life and get it back in order. He spent time jail but has since been released. He used to work at a grocery store but got fired for showing up late too often. He begs his manager for his job back, but to no avail. He has dealt marijuana before but is leery of getting back into that web of trouble. Oscar is not your average stereotype of someone you may think of in this type of lifestyle. He is a devout family man who loves his girlfriend Sophina (Diaz) and daughter more than anything else in life. Oscar also seems to be the crutch of the family as his sister tries to borrow money from him which he does not have. Of course, he takes on the burden to help her out. He plans and organizes a birthday party for his mom Wanda (Spencer) who has been a backbone for him. She is strong, tough, and keeps him accountable for his actions and the consequences that follow. Upon his mother’s advice, Oscar and Sophina take a train into town after the party to meet up with friends. She assumed that the train would be safer and did not want there to be any issues with drinking and driving. There is no way she could have predicted the events that followed at Fruitvale station.

I think we as a society assume have come a long way, but when you see instances like the Oscar Grant travesty or the Trayvon Martin case, you can’t help but feel like we have taken a step back. The audience knows at the beginning of the film how it is going to end, but there is that internal hope we have that everything will be fine, but it is not. Coogler draws you into Oscar’s life without shying away from any of the negative aspects. Some directors or storytellers may have sugar coated him or completely showed him as an innocent victim in the wrong spot at the wrong time. While that is true, the film’s tagline “Every step brings you closer to the edge” also rings true. Oscar is continually struggling with the concept that all of the choices he has made in life, whether they are good or bad, have an impact on his future. You may not think about it on a day to day basis, but our future is continually molded by the choices we have made no matter how big or inconsequential they are. There are so many things leading up to the incident that may or may not have caused the outcome. It really is hard to watch the police brutality and know that this is a very real story and one that continues to happen. You see how Oscar made some bad choices in his past but has come around to making his life better for his family. He was not your average, stereotypical gang member that these officers thought he was.

If you have watched “The Wire”, “Friday Night Lights”, or “Parenthood” you are familiar with the fabulous young talent that is Michael B. Jordan. His performance is remarkable and heartbreaking as Oscar Grant III. He perfectly nails down the various attitudes, demeanors, and language he has towards the various people in his life. At the same time, he carries around that underlying built in aggression that he previously let loose which got him into trouble. A flashback scene involving Jordan and Spencer when he is in jail really showcases how quickly he can go between light conversations with his mother to the rage he has against the guards. I really hope The Academy takes notice of this film and Jordan’s performance. Speaking of the Oscars, previous Oscar winner Octavia Spencer proves she does not have the Supporting Actor curse after this strong performance. There is more restraint and control in how she deals with the incident than I would have expected.

First time director Ryan Coogler packs a wallop of a punch. It is hard to describe the emotional gut response this film brings. It is not an easy film to watch, but it is a very important story to tell for years to come. It is by far one of the best of the year. Are you listening Oscar voters?

RATING: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)