Halloween is coming, which means this is a perfect weekend to curl up on the couch, drink Pumpkin stout and watch some movies. This week there’s my favorite film of the year, The Way, Way Back, plus the perfect way to spend Halloween, The Conjuring from director James Wan.
Fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart. It’s that time of the week!
The Conjuring
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| New Line Home Video / Released 10/22/13 |
Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville. Based on the true life story, The Conjuring tells the tale of how world renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives. Extras include featurettes.
Last Word: It seems as though the last several years have produced some great movies and TV shows based on what happens in the shadows while we are not paying attention. Several Stephen Moffat-penned Doctor Who episodes immediately come to mind as well as the Toy Story franchise. These are stories that characterize everyday objects or sounds in such a way as to prevent the viewer from ever again taking these occurrences for granted. This is the ground upon which The Conjuring walks, sometimes shaking and sometimes shaking the audience.
The Conjuring is based on the true story of the Perron family who have moved from New Jersey in 1971 to a great big and old farmhouse in Harrisville RI. Soon after moving in, a series of strange phenomena start that build in intesnsity and violence until the family calls upon the services of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). The couple are God-fearing paranormal investigators who might be an amalgamation of Mulder and Scully of the X-Files with the 70’s Ghost Busters, sans Tracy the Gorilla. After some revelations come to the clairvoyant Lorraine during a visit to the Perron home, the couple is convinced of the necessity for an exorcism. Exorcisms as it so happens in the movie can only be performed by an expert with approval from the Vatican, which needs proof of a possession before permission can be granted.
The process of capturing the spectral proof is where the movie finds its strength with some of the creepiest moments I have seen on screen in some time. These moments taken as a whole are surprisingly weaved together, but in the end, they are simply telling the story of a particularly creepy home framed by the lodging of this family within. Their story is fine, but short on satisfaction. Finally when what feels like the set up of a promising ending does not come to fruition, we are left feeling simply empty. The Conjuring is a movie that tries to sell itself as The Exorcist for a new generation, but instead comes off as the New Coke equivalent: many of the ingredients that made the original so memorable are here – possessions, a demonically haunted house, an exorcism – but overall the movie fails to satisfy its audience after consumption. ( – Joe Yezukevich)
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| 20th Century Fox / Released 10/22/13 |
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson team up to crash the digital world in this laugh-out-loud buddy comedy you’ve been searching for! Trying to reboot their obsolete careers, old-school salesmen Billy (Vaughn) and Nick (Wilson) talk their way into an internship program at the state-of-the-art Google campus, vying for a handful of spots among tech-savvy college students who are half their age and twice as smart. The competition is fiercely funny as Billy and Nick break all the rules in a hilarious quest to land their dream jobs! Extras include featurette, commentary and deleted scenes.
Last Word: Mediocrity hits a new average with The Internship, one of the most uninspired, formulaic and tired films of recent memory. Bloated, unfunny and lazy (both the film and co-writer/star Vaughn), there’s nothing here that’s worth watching. It’s not bad, it’s not good, it just exists. In what comes across as a collection of mid-nineties plot devices and an extended recruiting film for Google, The Internship relies on stock characters, and already feels dated despite it’s release this past June. Director Shawn Levy has never been a particularly interesting filmmaker, and The Internship delivers by being a not particularly interesting film. Skip it.
The Way, Way Back
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| Fox Searchlight / Released 10/22/13 |
While 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) is being dragged on a family trip with his mom (Toni Collette) and her overbearing boyfriend (Steve Carell), he finds a gregarious friend (Sam Rockwell) at a local water park. The two form a powerful bond as Duncan learns to swim through the challenges of life, love, family and friendship, resulting in a vacation he’ll never forget. Extras include featurettes and deleted scenes.
Last Word: With a powerhouse cast and a charming fast-paced script of intelligence and wit, The Way, Way Back terrifically tells a timeless coming-of-age story that will almost bring you to tears and then make you burst out laughing.
We experience the movie from the perspective of quiet and awkward fourteen-year-old, Duncan (Liam James). His experience is defined by his relationships with the two men that vie to play the role of his surrogate father: her mom’s asshole boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell) and the cool water park boss, Owen (Sam Rockwell). In the first moments of The Way, Way Back, we watch Trent have Duncan rate himself on a scale from 1-10. Reluctantly, the introverted teen declares himself a 6, which Trent dismisses, calling Duncan a 3.
Steve Carell, who built his career playing the hapless, sex-starved and awkward everyman in such films as 40 Year Old Virgin, Date Night and Crazy, Stupid Love, plays the polar opposite in The Way, Way Back. Trent is the arrogant and charismatic foil to Duncan’s insecurities and frustrations, never missing an opportunity to instill his role as the alpha male in this familial dynamic. Duncan, genuinely wishing for his mother’s happiness, is constantly belittled by Trent who incessantly calls him “buddy” and takes every opportunity to ensure that he never feels good about himself.
Duncan escapes the overbearing Trent on a spectacularly pink girl’s bicycle. And finds his way to the local water park, Water Wizz, where he is befriended by the park manager, the negligent, immature Owen (Sam Rockwell). Perhaps recognizing a bit of himself in Duncan, Owen gives him a job, and more importantly, an opportunity to help break out of his shell. Duncan keeps the job a secret, and for the first time, starts seeing himself the way the older employees of the park do; as a great kid who just needs a little help. At Water Wizz, Duncan takes every moment as an opportunity, gaining an alias, Pop n’ Lock. As a result, Owen gives Duncan the ability to see himself as more than just a number and, Duncan inadvertently helps Owen mature from an irreverent man-child to a responsible(ish) adult.
Faxon and Rash present emotional themes that are accessible to a vast array of audiences because they set the story in such a timeless New England summer town. It’s not a period film like Wet Hot American Summer or Adventureland. The houses are a bit cramped and shabby, the water park looks a little unstable, but everyone has cell phones and pretty standard summer gear. Because of the lack of time-period specificity, the directors are able to create a timeless movie that is at once contemporary and nostalgic.
That poignancy is expressed through the actions and reactions of the characters. They aren’t overly exaggerated, and instead feel true to life. The teenagers of The Way, Way Back do not whine about their grievances. They subtly capture the uncertainty and strife of being in that awkward phase where you are neither a child and not yet an independent adult, especially when you are growing up in households broken apart by divorce. They see their parents making moral sacrifices, such as Duncan’s mother Pam (Toni Colette) who tries to ignore Trent’s boorishness because she does not want to be alone and raise her son without a father figure.
The contrasting characters compliment the oscillating tone of the film. It changes from bright and enthusiastic, even romantically hopeful, to dark and heart wrenching, then back to funny again. Isn’t that so like teen life? Happy and free one moment and then ridiculed and robbed of independence the next? The directors are incredibly successful in balancing these moods throughout the film. Ultimately, The Way, Way Back is a critique of our culture’s obsession with youth. The summer beach town is “spring break for adults,” where the parents shed their inhibitions and flirt with drinking, drugs and each other. They forget about their adult responsibilities, including their children, and instead indulge in hedonistic excess. Jim Rash and Nat Faxon know how to animate teen angst with integrity and hilarity. They expertly highlight the strengths and weaknesses of emotional transitional periods in a flawless comedic way. Watch and enjoy The Way, Way Back. It’s one of the year’s best (– Caitlyn Thompson)
Only God Forgives
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| Starz/Anchor Bay / Released 10/22/13 |
Only God Forgives reunites the vision of renowned director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) with Ryan Gosling in a gritty thriller set in the seedy underbelly of Bangkok. Julian (Ryan Gosling), an American fugitive from justice, runs a Thai boxing club as a front for his drug business. His mother (Kristin Scott Thomas), the head of a vast criminal organization, arrives from the US to collect the body of her favorite son, Billy. Julian’s brother has just been killed after having savagely murdered a young prostitute. Crazy with rage and thirsty for vengeance she demands the heads of the murderers from Julian. But first, Julian must confront Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm), a mysterious policeman – and figurehead of a divine justice – who has resolved to scourge the corrupt underworld of brothels and fight clubs. Extras include featurettes, commentary, and interviews.
Last Word: Much like Refn and Gosling’s previous collaboration Drive, Only God Forgives is the rare film that draws much of it’s effectiveness through silence and stillness. Unfortunately, unlike Drive, Only God Forgives doesn’t really succeed. With garish cinematography trying to make up for what essentially is a dull film, Refn has constructed the longest and most ineffective music video of all time. Characterization is almost abandoned completely and the stranger in a strange land revenge plot, simply doesn’t engage. Drive was one of my favorite movies of the year it was released; this one ranks as one of the year’s biggest disappointments.
Dead in Tombstone
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| Universal Studios / Released 10/22/13 |
Danny Trejo, Anthony Michael Hall and Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke star in this unrated, action-packed battle for vengeance. As a ruthless gang overruns a small mining town, they murder their own leader, Guerrero Hernandez (Trejo), in a cold-blooded power grab. Sentenced to eternity in hell, Guerrero finds himself confronted by Satan himself (Rourke), offering a daring proposition: deliver the six souls of his former gang and he will escape damnation. With time running out, he sets out on a brutal rampage to avenge his own death! Extras include deleted scenes, featurettes, commentary and making of.
Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics
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| Warner Home Video / Released 10/25/13 |
The Joker, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Doomsday, Bane. What makes them so thrillingly watchable? So terribly wonderful? So extremely vital to our super heroes and their worlds? This new feature-length documentary explores these questions across seven decades of DC Comics’ hallowed Rogues’ Gallery of infamous evildoers. Narrated by esteemed film villain Christopher Lee, examines the tortured psyches of your favorite animation, comic book, game, TV and feature film baddies both from the past and into the future against the backdrop of culture, history and society. Insights from famed creators and storytellers, including Zack Snyder, Guillermo del Toro, Jim Lee, Geoff Johns and Richard Donner, shine a fascinating light on those malevolent, charismatic characters who thrive in the dark.
Last Word: A self-important talking head bloated bonus feature stretched into a full length release, Necessary Evil is nothing more than a series of soundbites regarding their pantheon of arch enemies. Christopher Lee’s inimitable voice narrates, but it doesn’t bring the “documentary” any sense of cohesiveness. There’s an attempt to intellectualize the rogues of the DC Universe, but many of the contributors really have little to say. Geoff John’s self congratulates his own work repeatedly, Dan Didio says nothing of worth and the film lacks an approach that holds any kind of gravitas. More upsetting are the omission of participants that might have something to say including Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, Alex Ross, Denny O’Neill, Mark Hamill, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, Brad Meltzer, John Ostrander, and Chuck Dixon, among others. Necessary Evil wants you to take these characters seriously, but with nothing more than an unfocused discussion, it’s for die hard fans only, who already know this stuff.
Primeval New World: Complete Series
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| Entertainment One / Released 10/22/13 |
When an invasion of prehistoric creatures terrorizes North America, visionary inventor Evan Cross (Niall Matter) assembles a team of highly-trained scientists and animal experts to handle the threat. From their cutting edge headquarters, “The Tank,” they hunt these deadly predators and investigate the Anomalies that bring them through time. Extras include featurettes.
Last Word: A spin-off of the slightly more entertaining BBC series Primeval, New World has dinosaurs coming through a time rift and causing havoc in Canada. The effects (which were originally designed for BBC’s Walking With Dinosaurs) are solid for television and the show is ridiculous and fun nevertheless. It’s got adventure. It’s got lots of pseudo-science. It’s formulaic. It’s fun. Recommended.
I Give It a Year
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| Magnolia Home Entertainment / Released 10/22/13 |
Since they met at a party, ambitious high-flyer Nat and struggling novelist Josh have been deliriously happy despite their differences. Josh is a thinker, Nat’s a doer… but the spark between them is undeniable. Their wedding is a dream come true, but family, friends and even the minister who marries them aren’t convinced that they can last. Josh’s ex-girlfriend, Chloe, and Nat’s handsome American client Guy, could offer attractive alternatives. With their first anniversary approaching, neither wants to be the first to give up, but will they make it? Extras include bloopers, outtakes, deleted/extended scenes, featurettes and interviews.
Oka!
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| Well Go USA / Released 10/22/13 |
25 years ago, ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno traveled from New Jersey to the forests of Central Africa to record the music of the Bayaka Pygmies. He fell in love with the people, their music, their lifestyle – and a local girl. Despite his failing health and the harsh realities of life in the village, he follows the Bayaka into the heart of the forest. Written and directed by Lavinia Currier, and starring Kris Marshall, Peter Riegert and Will Yun Lee, OKA! is a true story of strength and bravery, uniquely capturing the spirit of a people with music, humor, and love.
Red Clover
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| Lionsgate / Released 10/22/13 |
Sixty-six years ago, the town of Irish Channel in Louisiana was the site of a horrible massacre on St. Patrick’s Day. While some blame a terrible storm that blew through the town, there are those that don’t talk about what really happened. Since the massacre, St. Patrick’s Day festivities in town were banned, but now the Mayor believes that it is finally time to celebrate. Those facing the ire of this little Irish Hellraiser terrorizing Cajun country include Billy Zane, Wiliam Devane, Kelly Washington, Courtney Halverston, Azure Parsons, Matty Ferraro, and actor-stuntman Kevin Mangold.
