Movie Trailer: THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU
Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Connie Britton, Kathryn Hahn, Rose Byrne, Dax Shepard, Timothy Olyphant, Debra Bonk

It’s become a joke with my parents that I love movies about dysfunctional families. As an actor, I’m always drawn to those types of large ensemble dramas as there are rich characters for the actors to play with. I was immediately drawn to This is Where I Leave You when I first saw the cast list and a publicity photo in Entertainment Weekly. Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Connie Britton, and Dax Shepard are just some of the fantastic actors that appear in this adaptation of the Jonathan Tropper novel of the same name. Jane Fonda stars as the matriarch of the Foxman family and insists her children (played by Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, and Adam Driver) reunite after their father passes away. As you can tell by the trailer, some of them are going through their own drama on top of the death in the family. The cast boasts quite a few actors known for the television work, and I’m excited to see them tackle a different medium. I recently bought the book, and hope to start and finish it before the movie comes out this fall.

Take a peek at the trailer and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

Release Date: September 12, 2014

Here's the trailer:

Movie Review: BAD WORDS

BAD WORDS
Director: Jason Bateman
Starring: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Rohan Chand, Phillip Baker Hall, Ben Falcone

I sometimes wonder what drives actors and directors to certain projects. I then wonder if I'm maybe missing something. Am I in a bad mood? Why am I not laughing? Such is the case when it came to Bad Words. Jason Bateman is one of those child stars that actually transitioned pretty well into working as an adult in the business. He will always be Michael Bluth to me after his four seasons on "Arrested Development". For his big screen directorial debut, he chose this script from beginner screenwriter Andrew Dodge. I really would like to know why. Not only does Bateman direct the film, but he stars as the main character, Guy Trilby.

Guy never graduated from the eighth grade and uses that as he way into competing in national children's spelling bees. He finds that loophole in the rules and milks it for some unknown reason. He ends up winning some competitions and gets himself entered into The Golden Quill, a legendary and prestigious tournament that is now being broadcast for the first time. His media sponsor Jenny Widgeon (Hahn) is forced to tag along as part of some other rule where the students or random adult need a sponsor to enter.

Rumors of Guy and his reputation spread to those involved with the competition where protests and arguments ensue against the president of the tournament (Janney) for allowing him to enter. Even the hotel gets word of Guy's antics and pays him back by making him stay in the custodian's closet. The tournament continues with Guy participating despite the hatred from everyone else involved. Guy aces through ever word he is given. At the same time, he will go to extremely stupid lengths to humiliate the other contestants into getting eliminated. The only kid that seems unphased by Guy is ten-year-old Chaitanya Chopra (Chand). He follows Guy all over the hotel insisting they become friends. Guy eventually relents and takes Chaitanya on many inappropriate, dangerous, and immature little nightly trips.

If you think it sounds like a dumb premise, you are pretty accurate in your assessment. I know some people were laughing throughout the film, but the Allison Janney scenes were the only moments I found myself laughing at throughout the eighty minute movie. The majority of the comedy comes from Guy's humiliation of the kids and his actions towards turning Chaitanya into a man. Of course there are plenty of insults and slurs along the way toward Chaitanya's nationality, "Slumdog" being one of them. We have seen these types of comedies before where the main character is this deplorable human or some old curmudgeon. Those films have been funny as it can be funny watching someone be a grump. Bateman's character seems so lonely, bitter, and angry and it's all directed toward these innocent and smart kids. I just don't find that type of humor funny. Maybe I was remembering my days when I was a child who got teased from time to time. We do find out late in the movie what his motivation is but it comes far too late and isn't strong enough to support his actions.

With such a funny cast, I really wanted this to work. Allison Janney and Kathryn Hahn are always fantastic in supporting roles. Unfortunately, Hahn has such a weird role here that her comedic talents are just wasted. Phillip Baker Hall and Ben Falcone play the spelling bee announcers. If you saw Lone Survivor (which you should have!), you may recognize Rohan Chand. He is cute, likeable, and has this nice innocent quality that is a nice juxtaposition to Bateman. I thought there would be a clever little twist or witty banter, but Dodge's script is amateurish at best. It tries to have some poignant moments, but it just falls flat. The "humor" stemming from the kid's humiliation is just crass and crude. I'm not trying to claim I only like clean comedy. I love a good raunchy flick, but it just doesn't work here. I really like Jason Bateman, but I just don't understand what drew him to this movie.

Is it worth your trip to the movies? No, don't waste your time unless you want something to add to your worst of the year list.

RATING: 1 out of 5 Ticket Stubs

Movie Review: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn



The imagination can do wondrous things. It can take us to adventurous places, brighten our days, and give us the confidence to battle any tough situation. For Walter Mitty (Stiller), daydreaming is the norm. Whether he is fighting his boss, saving a dog’s life, or trying to impress his dream girl Cheryl Melhoff (Wiig), his imagination takes him to numerous heights. Outside of that, he leads a very normal and traditional life. He assists his mother (MacLaine) with moving into a new apartment. His sister Odessa (Hahn) is a little kooky and relies on him for more than she ought to.



He takes great pride his work in the negative assets department for Life Magazine only to find out the company is ending it's magazine publications and switching to an online format. Walter’s boss Ted (Scott) is your average scumbag of a boss who really has no interest in his employees or the work. Hopefully you can get passed his douchey facial hair which is so fake looking but makes complete sense for the character. Famed photographer Sean O’Connell (Penn) sends frame 25 by telegraph to Walter to be used as the final cover image. When Walter opens the package of frames, frame 25 seems to be missing from the set. From the advice of Cheryl, Walter decides to use the other frames as clues to track down the whereabouts of the elusive and enigmatic photographer to find that final frame. His daydreaming finally becomes a reality as his real life adventure begins.



If you have read any of the background on the film, you may know that it has been stuck in “development hell” for years with various studios, directors, and actors attached to it. It is a remake of the 1947 film of the same name which was based on the short story by James Thurber. I am glad it finally got in the right hands as Ben Stiller has successfully brought Walter Mitty back to life again. The film crosses various genres as there is some comedy, adventure, drama, and even a little romance thrown in there. I think finding the right tone is the key to making this film work. It is not a screwball comedy like Zoolander or some of Stiller’s other work. I do not think I would consider the film a comedy, but there are some humorous moments which are a bit more genuine for both Stiller and Wiig. They leave their silly characters of the past behind and just play their scenes together in a truthful and honest way. There are so many sweet and tender moments between the two of them that I would not mind seeing a stripped down romantic comedy with the two of them as the leads. I wish the characters MacLaine and Hahn play as his mother and sister would have been a bit more fleshed out. There are both great actresses, so they seem a bit under used here. The mother character plays a vital part in the story but has only been given a couple of scenes to develop that.



For a story that relies heavily on the photography of the Sean Penn character, Stiller makes good use out of cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh. He beautifully captures the scenic landscapes of Greenland, Iceland, and the other places Walter ventures to on his journey to find Sean. You know the cinematography is stellar when various shots look like photos themselves. I found myself repeatedly soaking up these glorious images and missing some of the actual dialogue.

I have a seen quite a few movies recently with heavy topics and such deplorable characters. While I love a good character study in which those provide, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is that refreshing change of pace I needed. I, for one, am known to get caught daydreaming so I am right there with Walter Mitty. I am not about to go into what goes on in my head so don’t ask. It is not always as adventurous as Walter’s inner monologues and storylines. There is something inspirational about watching Walter’s daydreams shift into reality as he goes from living his everyday somewhat boring life and watching him take that leap and literally jump onto that helicopter. While that may not be quite practical for everyone in their normal day to day routine, I am sure you can find a way to start off small and go from there.

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

Movie Trailer: THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, Shirley MacLaine

Do you ever find that certain songs bring movie trailers to a whole new level? Last year Imagine Dragons reached a new audience base after their hit "It's Time" was used in the trailer for The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It has happened again where Of Monsters and Men's "Dirty Paws" has that same effect on the trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. I have been a little obsessed with the first trailer for the new Ben Stiller movie ever since I first saw it. I think part of my obsession can be attributed to this song. It just seems to fit so perfectly. Stiller plays the title character, an employee of Life magazine whose job is now in jeopardy as the magazine goes under. He seems to escape the everyday life as he disappears into various fantasies giving him a newfound energy to carry on to find the last missing image taken by an elusive photographer (Penn).

I have a hot and cold relationship toward Ben Stiller. I definitely acknowledge he is very talented, but there are times where his his comedy borders on obnoxiousness. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty looks like a really great vehicle for him both as an actor and director to show off his various strengths. Plus, I love the supporting cast. The film has been in development hell having been shopped around, re-written, and re-cast for years so I will be curious to see how the final product turns out.

Feel free to sound off below on your thoughts!

Release Date: December 25, 2013

Movie Review: WE'RE THE MILLERS

WE'RE THE MILLERS
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Ed Helms

A drug “smuggling” road trip movie whose characters are on the run from their Mexican drug lords. I feel like I’ve seen this before. Oh wait, I’m sure I have. David Clarke (Sudeikis) is that guy we all know that has never really grown up. He’s not married, has no kids, and lives in a bachelor style apartment. David is also a well-known marijuana dealer. His iPhone is constantly going off and has his supply fully organized and stashed away. I always like someone that is well organized. It is not too long into the movie when he is completely robbed of his weed and the tens of thousands of dollars he had with it.

He must fess up to his dealer Brad Gurdlinger (Helms) that he no longer has the money he owes him. Brad offers David an ultimatum as a way to repay him his debt. Brad tells David to cross the border into Mexico to smuggle back a “smidge and a half” of marijuana. David has no choice but to go along with the plan. He comes up with the idea of posing as a family in a RV in order to breeze through border patrol. Who would suspect a happy-go-lucky-ain’t-life-grand type of family of bringing drugs back into the country? David has no family so he decides to form one by bribing some of his neighbors. Rose O’Reilly (Aniston) makes her living as a stripper but is being evicted from her apartment. She sees no choice but to take David up on his offer as she desperately needs the money. Kenny, the dorky kid next door (Poulter) tags along as he has nothing better to do and wants to score some weed from David. To round out the family is Casey (Roberts), a pierced and tattooed runaway.

The newly formed Miller family heads out on the open road. Their stop inside the compound to pick up their “smidge and a half” is highly guarded with rifles pointing in every direction. The exchange goes rather smoothly despite the fact that the “smidge and a half” turns out to be enough pot to fill every nook and cranny of the RV. They get stopped at border patrol but ease on through after the under vehicle check. For the faux Millers this slight altercation turns out to be the least of their worries. What would a drug smuggling road trip movie be without some other hijinks and crazy characters along the way?

I have mentioned it in reviews past, but I get leery whenever I see more than one or two screenwriters listed in the credits. We’re the Millers boasts FOUR writers. I highly doubt that they all sat in a room together and came up with this script. It is by no means original, and frankly, it is not all that funny. One would think that with four writers the jokes and zingers would just come flying out of each actor’s mouths. There are some good laughs to be had, but I was not busting a gut every time Sudeikis delivered a line.

I sometimes wonder why editors leave the funniest moments and punch lines for the blooper reel. Some of the best laughs of the movie come in the blooper reel. It set in stone the reason why this movie semi-works. This cast is able to take a weak script and run with it themselves to get some laughs out of it. Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn (both from TV’s “Parks and Recreation”) pop up as another RV riding Christian family that the “Millers” meet along the way. They are always funny no matter what project they do. You may not know the name Kathryn Hahn but you will probably recognize her. Another stand-out is British actor Will Poulter as Kenny. He is definitely not afraid to do anything for a laugh. The movie does have an interesting take on the idea of getting to know strangers and not judging the book by the cover. I must admit, the ending did take me by surprise. I assumed I knew what was going to happen within the first half hour, but I am glad that I was wrong. The movie is not terrible, but there are funnier pot movies out there if you are in the need for a late night high fest.

RATING: ** 1/2 (2.5 out of 5 stars)