The Help

This morning I saw The Help, starring Viola Davis and Emma Stone.

I'll confess, I haven't read the book, but what I saw today certainly impressed me.

It's the early 60s and Skeeter (Stone), a recent Ole Miss grad, returns to her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi to launch her career as a writer. Assigned to write responses for a cleaning column (something she knows nothing about) she turns to 'the help' for help. Her friend's maid Aibileen (Davis) graciously agrees to provide her with correct answers for the column, and once they begin talking, Skeeter realizes she could write a much more interesting story. Her idea is to interview Aibileen and other black maids in town to tell about their lives from their perspective.

After much persuasion, Aibileen begins sharing her history in secret meetings with Skeeter. The talks go well, but Skeeter's editor wants more material to make a complete book. Trouble is, the maids in town are so scared of losing their jobs—or worse, their lives—that they choose to remain silent.

A number of awful, racist things happen in Jackson. Town bitch Hilly, played marvelously by Bryce Dallas Howard, wants all the colored people to have their own toilets. Because she holds so much respect among the Junior League, the other white housewives blindly follow her lead and begin installing their own separate toilets.

Shortly thereafter, civil rights leader Medgar Evars is gunned down in his own front yard, and all of the maids band together to tell their stories. They've reached the end of their tether.

Octavia Spencer as Minny is especially entertaining, her stature and strength reminiscent of Mammy in Gone With the Wind, who is coincidentally referenced in the film. But all of the maids are convincing in their individual degrees of conviction, just as the white-people-who-don't-realize-their-racist also seem authentic.

The film is peppered with various notable supporting performances: Sissy Spacek, Allison Janney and Nelsan Ellis all seamlessly blend in to the landscape and add just enough spark to make us remember them. Also fabulous is Jessica Chastain as Jackson's token outcast, Celia.

Really, there are no bad performances in this film, and with the exception of the length (at least half an hour could've been shaved off), this is a very satisfying, if not somewhat sad, snapshot of life in the South not so long ago.

Oscar season, here we come.

~~~

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Tonight I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.

It is seldom that a film franchise provides a decent sequel, let alone a respectable eighth film in a series, but this one thankfully did.

Deathly Hallows, Part 2 picks up right where Part 1 left off with (me sobbing at) Dobby the House Elf's untimely demise.

Harry has a mission to find the final Horcrux, kill the snake and ultimately kill Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), who is more menacing and magically awful in this one than any of the previous films.

The pace is slow at first, but that's okay—we've missed these characters and it's nice to warm up to them again. In fact, the scene where Harry first sees his love, Ginny, was especially stomach-jump worthy. Then again, I'm a hopeless romantic so your results may vary.

Anyway—after they get the reunions (somewhat) out of the way, the film goes very Indiana Jones, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It's definitely the most physical of the eight and quite possibly the only one that will give me nightmares (specifically the fire with the faces in it and just about any Voldemort scene). But it's exciting—even when you know what happens next.

The main characters are pitch perfect, as usual, and the supporting (three cheers for Neville Longbottom!) are just as charming. Though I wasn't too young when the series started, I do feel like I've "grown up" with this bunch, and their familiarity is a comfort.

I won't reveal the ending, though if you're a breathing human being you probably know how it all turns out.

I'll just say that the finale was incredibly satisfying, I was never bored, and I'm so, so sad that it's over.

~~~

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Tonight I saw Crazy, Stupid, Love starring Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling.

Yes, it really is that good.

I'll admit I was skeptical of what some critics are practically calling the second coming of romantic comedies, but it really got me.

Cal (Carell) is a devastated dad who is blindsided by his wife's admission of an affair and her desire for a divorce. He drowns his sorrows in cranberry vodkas at a local club, which is obviously geared toward younger singles.

His moping catches the eye of womanizer Jacob (Gosling) who decides to adopt Cal as a pet project and give him a man-makeover. Soon they are picking up women in the same way, and loving-and-leaving them.

Emily (Julianne Moore), Cal's wife, is remorseful about her cheating, but still seeing the "other man" at work. Jessica, the babysitter, (Analeigh Tipton) has a crush on Cal. Cal's son Robbie (Jonah Bobo) has a crush on Jessica. Confused yet?

Really, it's much simpler than it sounds, and undeniably sweet.

Sure, Emily's done something bad and Cal's behavior in the aftermath isn't much better, but the difference between this and a million other rom-coms is that these characters are very likable. We actually kind of want them to reconcile, despite their mistakes, to keep their son's vision of true love alive.

Also a joy to watch is the slimy-yet-redeeming Ryan Gosling and the always-electric Emma Stone. Their chemistry is fantastic, though they're barely on screen more than 15 minutes together.

There's laughter throughout, a borderline-slapstick scene at the end (following a twist that most won't see coming) and a satisfying ending that's both believable and welcome.

Yeah, you should go see it. I might just see it again.

~~~

Friends with Benefits

This morning I saw Friends with Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis.

It's the age-old question: can two friends who are physically attracted to each other have a sex without developing feelings? The characters in this film bargain they can.

Jamie (Kunis) is the headhunter who convinces Dylan (Timberlake) to relocate to New York from L.A. for a great job with GQ. Since he knows no one in his new city, the two become buddies by default and are soon lounging around together on the couch watching movies.

Their attraction to one another is undeniable (and Timberlake and Kunis have enough chemistry to pull off the tension), but both were recently burned in previous relationships so they decide they want nothing from each other except sex.

And the filmmakers should be commended for their first sex scene—if couples would be as honest as these two are (telling one another EXACTLY what to do and how to do it) the world would probably be a happier place. Because they get all of the communication out of the way in their very technical debut encounter, they end up having a truly satisfying physical relationship, which almost achieves exactly what they wanted.

Until they decide to start dating other people.

The film then takes a very formulaic turn, throws in some family members (one with a sad ailment), a trip home and we all know where the rest of the story is headed.

But that's okay.

The clever writing, fun pop culture references (who doesn't fondly remember Kris Kross?) and generally lighthearted vibe make forgiving its flaws easy.

The two leads are a pleasure to watch and the story is something that should appeal to anyone who has thought "what if?" about one of their attractive friends.

~~~

Tabloid

Today I saw the documentary Tabloid, directed by Errol Morris.

It will be the topic of Cinebanter #106, so tune in next month for our review.

The Tree of Life

On Sunday, I saw The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Hunter McCracken.

This is a film to walk into without expectations, and I wish I'd had that luxury.

I'd heard that I would love it; I'd heard that I would hate it. I'd heard that I would know what it feels like to be a baby, then a young boy. I was told my faith would be challenged. None of that turned out to be remotely true.

I didn't love this movie, but I most certainly didn't hate it—there is too much magic present for that to happen. It stirred intense emotions within me, though while it was doing so I was lamenting the fact it was about an hour too long.

I was impressed by Brad Pitt and Hunter McCracken, who play father and son. I was annoyed by Jessica Chastain (Mom), who seemed always to be running or floating or crying on her sad little suburban street.

I was disappointed that Sean Penn's appearance was so brief, and wondered why the grown-up version of his character was even there.

I was amazed by the beauty of what I was witnessing on-screen: the stars forming; rivers with dinosaurs jumping about; a beautiful baby giggling and cooing; a gorgeous, old tree our symbol of life throughout.

There are a dozen different ways this film could be interpreted—some feasible, others reaching. So I'll just express how I experienced it and wonder if anyone else felt the same way...

I believe the entire movie was meant to show God's perspective.

I believe we were watching the story of one family because most of us could relate to that in the easiest way (and the director's childhood was apparently similar to that of the film's young hero).

I believe it was meant to be a conversation by humans asking God why life is filled with such pain.

I believe it was meant to show that God's plan is merely a cycle and we're all just in each part of it temporarily.

I believe it was meant to show that God sometimes experiences life with us, which is why we must hurt.

I believe it was meant to show that God sees the world in whatever way He chooses: through his own eyes, through those of a child, or via a guilt-ridden adult.

I believe God is meant to be represented as an entity or simply as another branch of nature.

I believe it is up to us to decide.

~~~

Larry Crowne

Today I saw Larry Crowne, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Larry (Hanks) is a content retail worker until his world comes crashing down during company layoffs. He's forced to give up his house, his car—his life as he knows it.

The reason given for him being chosen as someone to lay off is insufficient education, so he decides to go back to school to use up all of this new spare time. There, at the local community college, he takes a class from Mrs. Tainot (Roberts). She's a bitter, jaded, out-of-love-with-her-husband kind of woman who probably shouldn't be teaching anymore.

But of course, her hard-ass approach and wrap dresses make all of the students a captive audience, and soon the kid who was answering his cell phone in class is up giving presentations just like everyone else (even if he cheats by writing them on his hands).

Did I mention that Larry befriends another student in the class who convinces him to join her scooter gang? And that the scooter gang is comprised of people younger and more diverse than Larry?

Sound cliché? Well, it is, but I can't help but still love Hanks, who co-wrote this with My Big Fat Greek Wedding's Nia Vardalos.

He (as usual) is incredibly likable in this role, and a few cameos from his real-life wife, Rita Wilson, and Vardalos' real-life husband, Ian Gomez are also fun to watch.

But the chemistry between Roberts and Hanks isn't as electric as the script would imply. With the exception of one 'kiss' scene, which tells us of their physical attraction, these two characters appear to have no reason to even like one another.

Bryan Cranston, who plays Roberts' loser of a husband, has more sparks with her in his limited time on screen than she and Hanks do throughout the entire film.

For a formulaic, occasionally funny, PG-day-at-the-movies type of flick, Crowne isn't horrible, but it certainly doesn't live up to its stars' or writers' other works.

~~~

Super 8

This morning I saw Super 8, starring Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning.

Joe (Courtney) is the son of the town deputy—an only child who lost his mother earlier in the year to a workplace accident. Alice (Fanning) is a girl from school who has a father who is always in trouble and a mother who has abandoned them. The two kids are, of course, destined to be together.

Their mutual friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) is making a film and they are both helping. As they become each other's certain first loves, they find themselves entangled in the aftermath of a local train crash, which has epic consequences.

You see, a creature of some sort (probably of the alien variety) has emerged from the crash and begun to wreak havoc on the entire town, apparently stealing dogs, people and copper. And let's just say each time "it" arrives, it "makes an entrance."

In the fashion of classic Spielberg hits like E.T. and The Goonies, the kids know more than the adults and are therefore tasked with saving the day.

Really, that was all fine with me.

Predictable as it was (and toward the end I was practically mouthing lines, though I'd never seen Super 8 before today), it was still incredibly enjoyable to watch a film set in the 70s that actually felt like the real 70s.

I loved seeing a dish on the table at one of the family's homes that was in my home as a kid, and I couldn't help but smile at the nod to the "new invention" of the Walkman.

I'm glad to see in our world of 3D, CGI, bigger-is-better film mentality that the studios are still willing to green light the occasional coming-of-age caper.

This one doesn't disappoint.

~~~

Hot Coffee

On June 9, I screened Hot Coffee.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.

Revenge of the Electric Car

On June 8, I screened Revenge of the Electric Car.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.

The Off Hours

On June 7, I screened The Off Hours.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.

Killing Bono

On June 2, I screened Killing Bono.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.

These Amazing Shadows

On May 30, I screened These Amazing Shadows.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.

Summer Coda

On May 29, I screened Summer Coda.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.

The Whistleblower

On May 29, I screened The Whistleblower.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.

The Hangover Part II

Last night I saw The Hangover Part II, starring Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms.

When I saw the first one a few years back, I went in with amazingly low expectations. It was a 'guy' movie with potential bathroom humor and I quite frankly wasn't interested. But the universal love for the film got me to the theater and I'll admit, I laughed my head off.

Fast forward to last night—two of my friends have declined seeing the movie with me (though I had free passes and they wouldn't have had to pay for their ticket). I'm told the second will "ruin" the first and asked why I'm even bothering to go.

Why? Because I like spending time with these characters.

Did I think it would be as great as the first? Of course not. But I don't go to a film like The Hangover Part II to have my life changed. I go to lose myself in the humor and enjoy the ride.

And that's just what I did.

After a slow start (the boys have to convince Stu (Helms) to invite Allen (Zach Galifianakis) to his wedding), the film soon picks up once the wedding party reaches Thailand.

Stu's soon-to-be father-in-law hates him, Allen hates Stu's soon-to-be brother-in law, Teddy, because he's compromising the bond of the Wolf Pack, and Stu is unbelievably paranoid about celebrating his last days of bachelorhood because of what happened last time.

Phil (Cooper) finds a solution in beer bottles that are sealed (so Stu can approvingly open them) and the boys settle in for an innocent campfire two nights before the big day.

When they wake up in Bangkok the fun really begins.

Stu has a large tattoo on his face, Allen's head is shaved and all that is left of Teddy is is severed finger, which they ultimately give to a drug-dealing monkey. I'm not kidding.

Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), who kidnapped them in the first movie, is also back.

From here we see guns firing, cars chasing and more full-frontal male nudity than I've seen in any movie in recent years.

There are an abundance of laughs, though none as powerful or unexpected as the first film.

It's clear the actors love playing these characters and that's part of what makes them such a joy to watch.

If you're anticipating something greater or more over-the-top than the first film, you'll undoubtedly walk out disappointed, but if you just go in wanting to have a good time, I'm pretty sure you will.

~~~

Hit So Hard

On May 27, I screened the documentary Hit So Hard.

To read my review, visit Cinebanter.com.

Page One: Inside the New York Times

On May 25, I screened the documentary Page One: Inside the New York Times.

You can read my capsule review on Cinebanter.com.

Bridesmaids

This morning I saw Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne.

Though it's tempting to compare the film to all of its male counterparts, I'll refrain from doing so because while it may have similar scenarios, it's definitely its own comedic beast.

The trouble begins when Lillian (Maya Rudolph) tells her best friend Annie (Wiig) that she is engaged.

The two have been BFFs since childhood, so naturally Annie is chosen to be her Maid of Honor, and naturally Annie represents the typical, pathetic, Single White Female who is incapable of having a successful relationship, etc.

Of course nothing is going Annie's way: the man she's sleeping with treats her terribly, she hates her job, has obnoxious roommates and a crappy car. If I hadn't been a similar version of Annie in real life just a few short years ago (I had everything but the roommates), I wouldn't have believed her. But having been there, I get that life can be that sad.

Enter Helen (Byrne), an equally miserable, yet undeniably gorgeous, wealthy married woman who is threatening to steal Lillian away from Annie amidst the grand plans for the wedding.

It's all highly predictable (women behave like women and back-stab each other until someone's asked to leave), but that doesn't mean that it's not enjoyable.

With the exception of a completely unnecessary food poisoning scene, most of the laughs you'll get from the film are quite original. The presence of Mike and Molly's Melissa McCarthy as Megan, sister of the groom, adds a tremendous spark to the ensemble and the added bonus of Chris O'Dowd as a police officer who keeps running into Annie is also a joy to watch. Plus, who doesn't enjoy a good Jon Hamm sex scene?

I scratched my head at the Wilson Phillips inclusion (didn't these SNL girls see Spring Breakdown, a film starring OTHER SNL girls who used the same song?), but do admit to tearing up just a little in the end.

It really is a fun, hopeful film for all the single ladies. And I bet that guys will laugh too.

~~~

Meek's Cutoff

Today I saw Meek's Cutoff, starring Michelle Williams and Paul Dano.

It will be the topic of Cinebanter #104, so tune in later in May for our review.

UPDATE: It in fact will not be the topic of Cinebanter, we have decided instead to review the new Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris.