Some Velvet Morning movie review

Cast: Alice Eve, Stanley Tucci
Director: Neil LaBute
Running time: 1 hour and 24 minutes

  This movie is what we call a 2-hander, so be prepared. What that means is that there are only 2 actors on screen during the whole movie. And when i say only 2, i literally mean 2. There is noone else. In "Some Velvet Morning" 's case our two leads are Stanley Tucci and Alice Eve. He is a middle-aged lawyer who just left his wife. She is the seductive blond that taunts him. It's just the two of them and  the tension is building...

  This is the second Neil Labute film i've seen. The first being Some Girl(s), which i've reviewed for this blog (review: http://moviereviewsbym94.blogspot.gr/2013/11/some-girls-movie-review.html ) and which i loved. His films are very character-driven (my favourite kind of movies) and have a certain simplicity about them that i like. Some Girl(s) was a character study type of movie and so was Some Velvet Morning. So i had high expectations getting into it. And those expectation were met to a degree. But let's get more in depth into my review of "Some Velvet Morning".

  One of my favourite things about the movie was Alice Eve. both her character and her acting. Velvet is an ethereal, effortlessly beautiful (in a way that doesn't exist in real life) blond. She is the woman men fight over and the woman women wish they could be. It was wonderful watching her putting on a red lip pencil and fixing her hair in two seconds while still talking and charming Stanley Tucci with seemingly no effort. To make this character convinving and so appealing for no apparent reasons it was detrimantal to have a great actress portray her and Alice Eve is as good as it gets. I can't imagine anyone else in that role and i am glad Neil Labute couldn't either.

  In a simiral way that Some Velvet Morning is simple because of its limited cast, it is, also, simple because of its limited location (the movie doesn't move past Velvet's house). I have long loved movies that are confident and assured enough to limit themselves to a certain geografic spot and turn that "limit" into a possitive attribute that enhanses the plot of the film rather than hurts it. Examples of this kind of movies that come to mind are "Phone Booth" (which i love), "Exam" (which has its bad and its good moments) and many many more i'm sure.This kind of limitation makes the characters and their interactions stand out more and it gives the audience the chance to focus and pay attention to them and, even, think more about the intricate human mind and soul.To add a minor point regarding the location of the movie i have to mention that i loved Velvet's house. It's beautiful and SPOILER!! even though it doesn't suit Velvet's personality and character it looks like a house used for something like what the whole thing turns out to be, but i won't spoil it more.

  I am, now, going to go more into what eventually happens, which is a major !!SPOILER ALERT!!, so consider yourselves warned. Throughout the film I would start noticing some inconsistencies in Velvet and Fred's characters. Fred would declare his love for Velvet at one moment and seem like he dismissed her as someone deserving of him the next. And Velvet would be fun and flirtatious in the begging as if she didn't know how dangerous Fred could be (which she would if it was real) and be surprised when he did turn violent towards the end. So after a point I was ready to classify Some Velvet Morning as fake and unrealistic, but then the came the end and it all started making sense. Their behavior was neither real nor created by an expert psychologist. They are just two people improvising the best they could, so the imperfections were, ironically, perfect in this situation.

  And speaking of the end, I didn't see it coming for a second and upon thinking about it I realized that I went with it completely. Not only did it take me entirely by surprise but after the initial astonishment I, totally, bought into it. It wasn't just a shock for shock's shake, it actually made sense, in my opinion.

  However, even though the end was intense and "edge of my seat" kind of stuff, the rest of the film comes very close to boring territory. The fact that the plot is somewhat limited leads to a number of moments being monotonous and repetitive. The task of grabbing the audience's attention for 84 minutes with, only, two leads and many conversations is a difficult one and Neil LaBute, almost, fails to complete it.

  Another observation that came to mind after watching "Some Velvet Morning" was that both Neil LaBute movies I have seen seem to have a similar "character plot that eventually grows into a twist" quality to them. I do love Neil LaBute (and not many do) but I would like to see something different from him next time.

  In conclusion, if you are a Neil LaBute fan, like me, you will probably like Some Velvet Morning and if you are not I, personally, think it is worth a watch. decide accordingly.

Final thought: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZEURntrQOg

Score: 74%
Tomatometer: 50%

m.

Courtesy of

Tribeca Film

The Rover movie review

Cast: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy, David Field, Anthony Hayes 

Director: David Michôd

Running time: 1 hour and 42 minutes

 

  It's 10 years after the collapse. The world has change dramatically. The film starts with Guy Pearce sitting alone, drinking, when his car gets stolen. So he decides to kidnap the only person who knows where the thieves are going, Robert Pattinson, and their wild journey begins. You may think what is so special about this car or what will Guy Pearce do to the people who took it or, even, what has happen to the world? But non of these questions matter. The question you need to ask is what will happen to Pearce and Pattinson's characters during this trip? And trust me you want to know the answer.

 

  I really liked "The Rover" and one, and maybe the most important, reason is both Robert Pattinson as an actor and Rey as his character. Rey is so pathetic, lovable and sympathetic that I couldn't help but feel sorry for him and wish, with my whole heart, for him to "succeed" in the end. He is not portrayed as a saint but not as the devil, either. He may make wrong choices but he regrets them and carries with him the guilt of his decisions. All of that combined with the fact that he has some kind of mental disability made me root for him all the way to the end.

  Not only did I love the character but I loved the acting. Robert Pattinson made Rey come to life with his constant subtle body movements and, also, the different emotions depicted on his face and way of talking. When his character was hyperactive due to his anxieties, I was hyperactive. When his character was sad because of the abandonment from his brother or the rejection from Guy Pearce, I was sad. He was amazing and I can't wait to see him in Cosmopolis.

  It's time to talk about Eric and Rey's relationship, which is in my opinion, what the movie is all about. What you will learn early on is that Eric is tough and doesn't have any connections with anyone as far as we know. So when he meets Rey his sole purpose is to use him so that he can find his car and then, maybe, kill him, maybe not, it doesn't matter. However, during the period of their very long ride Rey, desperately, tries to connect with him. And at first Eric shot down every attempt Rey made but as time went on and as he saw more of his, borderline stupid, good nature Guy Pearce's character started to feel some kind of sympathy for Rey. I found the slow and very toned down way their relationship  grew, wonderful to watch. it was very credible, honest and, even, heartwarming.

  In addition to the relationship, another strength of The Rover is that it was believably developed. What I mean by that is that, even though, it was obvious that Guy Pearce was starting to see Robert Pattinson in a different, more friendly, maybe even more fatherly way it was never over the top. There were no great gestures on the part of Pearce and the only "movie big" action that happened was because of Robert Pattinson's character and it was logical to the situation at hand and to Rey's character in general. He, may, felt bad for Rey but he was, still, the guy who would shoot someone in cold blood, like he did in the beginning.

  In my introduction of the movie I talked about questions. I thought the way to writer chose which questions to answer and which not to was exactly right. The point of the film wasn't what happened 10 years ago or how the world came to be this way. The point was the human connection between someone that had something happen to him which changed him and toughened him up and someone who felt a deep loneliness and desperation and had many insecurities. The lack of external information made their relationship the center of the movie and brought, even more, intensity to it.

  !!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!! Finally, the last point I have to make about the strong elements of the movie involves a major spoiler, the end (so stop reading if you haven't watched The Rover yet). As much as I didn't want to see him die, I expected that Rey would, at a certain time in the movie, lose his life. And when I say I expected, I am refering to the feeling I had that this would be the case in real life. The very thing that made me love him, his kind-heart foolishness, would be what destroyed him in the end. I appreciate that despite the fact that it wasn't what a number of people would want to see (i.e. me) the screenwriter, still, chose to have it happen.

  However, although The Rover had many strong traits, there were some elements of it that lowered my score. First and foremost the pacing was a little too loose for my taste, especially in the begging. I liked that it had a calmness and a unrushed rhythm in its storytelling but I thought it was too much in the first half of the film. It became tiring until it all came together in the second to third act.

  And, at last, my final "complain" is about the last scene of the movie. I'll try not to spoil it for you, but I thought it came out of nowhere and had no real emotional residue, unlike most of the other scenes of the film. I understand that it was a way to show that Eric had some emotional substance and vulnerability in him, reinforcing the idea that he did, actually, grow to see Rey in a  different light but I wish it had been conveyed in a different and more subtle way, keeping the tone synced with the rest of the movie.

  In conclusion, I really enjoyed watching The rover and I recommend it to you, particularly if you like character based movies but beware that this is not a movie to watch when you are feeling tired and/or ready to go to bed.

Score: 74%

Tomatometer: 66%

m.

 

 

Courtesy of

A24

Roadshow Films

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cavemen movie review

Cast: Skylar Astin, Camilla Belle, Chad Michael Murray, Dayo Okeniyi, Kenny Wormald
Director: Herschel Faber
Running time: 1 hour and 28 minutes
 
In the mood for a light and hopefully fun movie and after a two-day binge watch of Ground Floor (starring non other than Skylar Astin), last Sunday, i decided to give Cavemen a chance.

  Cavemen is about a group of 20something guys all living together in a loft they, so originally, named the Cave. Our male lead is Dean (Skylar Astin). He is a struggling screenwriter. Our female lead is Tess (Camilla Belle). She is a struggling singer. They are just friends, right? I'll let you guess this one (but i'll give you a hint: it's an easy answer).

 So let's get this review going. The only thing I like and what made Cavemen bearable was the chemistry between the main couple, Dean and Tess. Their banter was fun, light and enjoyable and made it so that I wanted to see them on screen, together. I wanted more Austin-Belle action rather than having a whole subplot about the two other couples and their relatiobships, which were unbelievable and frankly, a little (let's be honest: a lot) annoying.

  Despite my comments about Den and Tess, everything else I have to say about the movie is on the negative side of the spectrum. I'll start with what I noticed the most and what I kept thinking about after the movie was over. The fact that I didn't believe for a second that Austin's and Murray were friends, let alone best friends. It seemed as though Dean disagreed with anything that came out of Jay's mouth. When they were together they looked and acted like people who were forced to spend time with each other.

 Furthermore, as I do in almost half the reviews in this blog I have to mention that Cavemen is as predictable as they come. From the two best friends that realize their love for each other after one of them starts dating someone else to the (extremely stupid "water-on-the-sidewalk") reference in act one that ends up happening in act three, even if it makes little to no sense. If you want to be surprised, this is not the film for you.

 Finally, the most annoying flaw of the movie is the reference I just talked about. The whole mud paddle test is idiotic in and of itself but the fact that it actually happens, especially, in a totally unrealistic moment and way is ridiculous. So to make my point even clearer I pose this question to you: let's say you just saw your boyfriend checking out another woman and you are pissed about it so you decide to storm out and you, accidentily, fall into a dirty, muddy paddle of water that is on the sidewalk, will you laught about it and playfully throw water at your boyfriend, who you were mad at 5 seconds ago? I'm guessing you won't, or at least I wouldn't.So that it happened in the movie is super unrealistic and unrelatable.

  In conclusion, even though Astin and Belle are charismatic in it, Cavemen isn't worth anyone's time, with it's many flaws overpowering the one good thing this movie has to offer.

Final thought/question:
Which is better Cavemen or That Awkward Momment (review: http://moviereviewsbym94.blogspot.gr/2014/05/that-awkward-moment-movie-review.html) ?
Hard to say, but I have to go with That Awkward Momment because in that movie the friendship between the guys was believable, cavemen doesn't even get that right.
Do you agree with my choice, would you pick differently? Let me know in the comments down below.

Score: 17%
Tomatometer: 8%

m.

Courtesy of

Well Go USA Entertainment

22 Jump Street movie review

Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare, Ice Cube, Amber Stevens
Director: Phil Lord Christopher Miller
Running time: 1 hour and 52 minutes

 Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed 21 Jump Street and after hearing great things about the sequel (cleverly named 22 Jump Street) I decided to go and watch it last Saturday night.

  22 Jump Street is the continuation of 21 Jump Street. It stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as two undercover police officers posing as college students . Chaos ensues as Jenko and Schmidt try to infiltrate the dealers of a new drug called WhyPhy and find the supplier. Will they catch the evil drug lord and make the arrest or will they fail miserably and become the joke of the department?

 The main positive attribute that makes both 21 and 22 Jump Street work so well is the incredible chemistry that Hill and Tatum have together. Despite portraying very different characters, the time they spend with each other seems and feels genuine, honest and effortless. I could see this being the way their relationship is in real life.

 Another character I rather enjoyed watching was Ice Cube's daughter's roommate SPOILER ALERT!!!!! (or as I like to call her the villainous mastermind of 22 Jump Street). Her "meanness" and her quippy comments targeted mostly at Jonah Hill's character were funny, very bizarre and very enjoyable and became even better as time passed and we started learning more about SPOILER ALERT!!! her involvement in WhyPhy. All in all a great villain, in my opinion and I would, even, like to have seen more of her.

  Moreover, 22 Jump street is a pretty good crime movie, which is not always the case with movies that are not crime-centered but, still, have a mystery to solve. The solution was not apparent at any point and the red herring was, actually, logical and convincing. It's not the most sophisticated crime film but it is well done, especially for the type of movie that it is.

  And my final thought on the positive points regarding 22 Jump Street is that it kept me interested the whole "ride" through. Even though you will soon find out that I did not love the movie as much as I wanted to (and as much as most people did), I never wanted to leave or regretted buying a ticket. I was, fairly, entertained throughout and I am sure that at some point in the future I will decide to rewatch the film and once again enjoy it (not something I can say about a lot of movies).

  Now, unfortunately, I have to continue with the weaknesses of the movie. The main problem I had with 22 Jump Street is that it wasn't as funny as I though (and heard) it would be. Was it the high expectations I had going into it or was it entirely the film, I don't know but even though I found it quite entertaining I didn't think it was so much laugh-out-loud funny. To be honest, I wish I did.

  And to move on to the second problem I had, I have to talk about the sequel references of the 21 Jump Street sequel. Although I can't say they weren't clever and amusing, I thought that they were more a good idea that didn't translate as well in reality rather than actual jokes. I wish there were more scenes like the poem reading scene (which was awesome and extremely funny) and a little less sequel lines to make the film come together in a funnier and tighter movie.

  In conclusion, I recommend 22 Jump Street but I can't say it's the best sequel I've ever seen. So go in with your expectations in a normal level and you will, definitely, have fun.

Final thought #1: Great cameos. Patton Oswalt is one of my favourites.
Final thought #2: John Abbruzzi is looking good! (a little Prison Break reference for you)

Score: 75%
Tomatometer: 84%

m.

Courtesy of

Columbia Pictures

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer