Late Night

Yesterday I saw Late Night, starring Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson.

Molly (Kaling) works at a chemical plant, loves comedy and wants to be a writer. She applies for a position at a Late Night television show where Katherine (Thompson) is an aging, out-of-touch host. Because they need a “diversity hire” she gets the job—never mind the fact she has no experience in the industry.

Soon she’s adapting to an otherwise all-male writers’ room full of egos and habits that are hard to break, plus the abuse that comes from the top, as the boss is resistant to change, though her ratings are steadily dropping.

Molly has fresh ideas and she’s not afraid to share them, which gets her into some trouble, but she is undeterred. As Katherine’s situation becomes worse and worse, she has to decide whether or not to listen to Molly or potentially lose her show.

Mindy's character has the potential to be annoying, but isn't in the least and Emma's has the potential to be one-note, yet is refreshingly multi-dimensional. And the men—even the bros—have redemptive qualities, though they could have easily been written as stereotypically awful.

Put simply: this perfectly paced, satisfying film was such a welcome reprieve from the world that I almost turned around and bought a ticket to see it again upon its end. It's that great.

We need more films like this. Films that have a basic beginning, middle and end yet don't feel like fluff and allow us to care about the characters because there is something about them that is worth caring about.

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Can you ever forgive me?

This morning I saw Can you ever forgive me? Starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant.

Lee Israel (McCarthy) was an acclaimed writer of biographies in a bit of a slump. Her agent wasn't doing anything to promote the book she was working on and her financial situation was dire. One day as she was doing some research at the library, a personal letter by the author of the book she was reading fell out. She kept it and sold it to an independent bookstore that dealt in collectibles. Amazed by the amount of money she received for it, she came up with a plan to make more.

Because she was such a gifted writer, Israel was able to mimic the style of several long-gone authors and forge believable letters, which she would then "weather" to appear old. She found a few reliable dealers who would purchase from her and made a good living, affording her to catch up on her rent and save her ill cat.

When a savvy customer catches on to her deception, she is blacklisted around town and enlists the help of her only friend Jack (Grant) who enjoys stepping in to take the reigns. Soon enough they're in real trouble and must face the consequences.

Although there were perhaps too many scenes of her sickly cat and too many references to the bugs in her apartment (it's clear that her situation was bad), McCarthy is never boring and the uneven pace is forgivable just to watch her magic. She makes a very unlikable person sympathetic and convinces you to root for her, though she way she treats people (including herself) is awful.

It's sad that someone so talented couldn't sustain success under her own name, but of course the ordeal gave her enough material to write the book upon which this film is based. If she were alive today, I'd bet she'd get a kick out of McCarthy's portrayal of her.

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Saving Mr. Banks

Tonight I screened Saving Mr. Banks, starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks.

PL Travers (Thompson) was an Australian author who had suffered a difficult childhood at the hands of her drunken father and depressed mother. It was her imagination that got her through it and led her to eventually write Mary Poppins, which achieved great success.

Walt Disney (Hanks), a legendary Missouri-born entrepreneur, of course created the Happiest Place on Earth™. After his daughter, Diane, fell in love with the book Mary Poppins, he promised her someday he would turn it into a movie. It took him 20 years, but he kept that promise.

This film tells that story in flashbacks to Travers' childhood (which can be quite disturbing) and throughout the process of convincing her to sell the rights to Disney. The two leads couldn't be better in their roles, Hanks capturing every mannerism Disney was known for; Thompson a hard shell of a woman with a heartbreaking past bubbling underneath. Sweet moments of humor, like a spoonful of sugar, help this "medicine" go down.

Travers really defined the Hollywood term "development hell" and took issue with just about every song, design and element proposed to her by the "Americans." It can't have been easy for the writer and songwriters to navigate, but obviously, in the end everyone got a classic.

The film is much more dark than I expected it to be, and I found myself crying at least four times.

That said, the writing is not emotionally manipulative or too far from the truth at any time. In fact, reading through this article, it comes pretty close. The real footage of the film and also the final credits (which hold real surprises) were a nice touch.

I enjoyed the story, and would recommend it for adults, but not for children due to the disturbing flashback sequences.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This morning I saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.

Charlie (Lerman) longs for companionship because something in his past caused him to shut down socially.

Sam (Watson) made many mistakes in her past, but has found solace in her friends and her bestie stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller).

When Patrick befriends Charlie, Sam is the one who brings him out of his shell, which causes Charlie to fall in love with her. Of course, as in any teenage story, Sam already has her eyes on another guy, so they just remain friends.

Charlie loves his new life, though his past never stops fully haunting him. The remainder of the film lets the audience navigate this brave new world with him—and its inevitable road bumps.

What's so refreshing about the wonderful script that Stephen Chbosky (who also wrote the novel) has created is that it's painfully realistic.

There are major themes explored in this film—virginity, bullying, homophobia, child abuse, accident trauma and promiscuity, just to name a few. But none of these overwhelming topics ever cloud the story or its progress. The lives of these characters just keep moving along as they would if they were living, breathing souls.

It doesn't hurt that the cast is phenomenal.

Logan Lerman has eyes so sweet, you'll ache for his every setback

1408

Tonight I saw 1408, starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.

It's Kafka-esque kookiness with a bit of sadness...and a bit of humor thrown in.

The film focuses on author Michael Enslin (Cusack), who travels to 'haunted' hotels and reports on their paranormal (or just normal) activity. We soon learn he is a skeptic who recently left his wife after their only daughter died at a young age. His vices apparently include drinking and surfing. He is sarcastic and jaded and every other stereotype that writers are supposed to be.

After he receives an anonymous postcard to visit the Dolphin Hotel in New York City, he takes the bait and attempts to book the room referenced on the card. When he's unable to do this on his own, he gets his literary agent and lawyer involved and they force the issue. When he arrives at the hotel, a typically-charismatic Samuel L. Jackson (playing the manager) pleads with him to stay away from the room.

Now Samuel is wonderful, but the I-could-open-a-can-of-whoop-ass-on-you-in-an-instant rhythm of his speech is such a distraction, it's hard to take him seriously. And along the same lines, although Cusack is supposed to be a messed up, faithless woman deserter, he still somehow manages to be likable—even attractive at times.

But I digress.

At the heart of the movie is a man who is lost in grief and subconsciously hoping to find proof of something else in the universe.

In room 1408, he finds it and we jump.

Stranger Than Fiction

Today I saw Stranger Than Fiction starring Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson.

It is the topic of Cinebanter 13, which is available here.