MINI-REVIEW: Straight Outta Compton

MOVIE
Straight Outta Compton

CAST
O'Shea Jackson Jr.,
Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell

RATING
R

RELEASE
August 14, 2015

DIRECTOR
F. Gary Gray

STUDIO
Universal Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 27 minutes






STARS
***3/4












REVIEW:

Musical biopics are something of a common trend now.  There are memorable ones, like "Walk the Line," and more forgettable ones, like "Get on Up."  It seemed almost inevitable that a musical biopic about N.W.A. would come our way, especially since Ice Cube and Dr. Dre have been talking about making this for a while.  Well now, we have it, and it's appropriately given the title "Straight Outta Compton."  For those who don't know, the group N.W.A. was famously made up of the lyrics of Ice Cube, the production of Dr. Dre, and the rapping swagger of Eazy-E.  These three men made headlines throughout their careers together, causing much controversy in the government just as much as on the streets.  Their mission was to tell it as it was, and songs like "Straight Outta Compton" and "F*** The Police" surprisingly still hold up to this day, especially considering the recent events to have happened in this country.  While one might expect that the film would have ended the moment N.W.A. broke up, director F. Gary. Gray decided to keep the story going.  While that makes the film nearly 2 and a half hours long, it continues the story that manages to stay fascinating and bittersweet come the film's conclusion, depending on how you see it.

The three leads playing Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, and Jason Mitchell are all pretty damn great in the movie.  Each one adds a sense of depth and reliability to their characters and make them all very engaging to watch.  The style of the movie itself is gritty and realistic, giving the audience a rough "slice of life" and showing that the late 80s and early 90s though the culture has changed, are shockingly similar to things that happen today.  F. Gary Gray was something of an ideal choice to direct this, as his visual flare and his previous experience with Ice Cube help him tell a great story altogether.  The film as a whole drags at times, and there are certain elements that could have been cut out, but as a whole "Straight Outta Compton" is a strong, gritty, and entertaining look into the cause, effect, and aftermath of one of the most controversial musical groups in history.






PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Green Inferno

The Hateful Eight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Creed

Crimson Peak

Ride Along 2

The Night Before (Red Band)

Hitman: Agent 47 (Red Band)

REWIND REVIEW: Mistress America

MOVIE
Mistress America

CAST
Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke

RATING
R

RELEASE
August 14, 2015 (NY/LA)

DIRECTOR
Noah Baumbach

STUDIO
Fox Searchlight Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 25 minutes







STARS
****









REVIEW:

"Mistress America" re-teams Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig for their third time over the course of five years.  Regarding tone and characters, this is very similar to "Frances Ha," though this one is miles better in my eyes.  "Mistress" is about a young college freshman in New York, played by the adorable Lola Kirke, who ends up under the wing of her eccentric and outgoing soon-to-be stepsister, played by Gerwig.  Being a college freshman in Brooklyn myself, this story really connected with me on many levels.  In many ways, I could see myself in the shoes of Kirke's Tracy, being alone and unfamiliar to this world far bigger than she might have anticipated.  At the same time, I could see myself in Gerwig's Brooke, having the passion of pursuing large dreams and attempt to make the world around her, well, her bitch.

Not only is the movie relatable and poignant, but it's also extremely funny.  This film may have the most consistent amount of laugh-inducing jokes in a movie all year.  Baumbach and Gerwig go back to the roots of the old-school screwball comedies of the 1930s-1950s with its jokes.  In fact, there are so many jokes thrown in per minute that it's kind of hard to get them all on a first viewing.  That's how funny this movie is.  The second half of the movie alone, which mostly takes place in one setting, has more laughs than any other comedy to have come out this year, and maybe even last year too.  It might just be that I love this type of humor, but I was laughing hard consistently.  If you're not a fan of old-school humor and are more a fan of shock-humor or really raunchy jokes, then this might not be the film for you.  There are some raunchy jokes here, but they don't make up the movie's entire sense of humor.  Take that for what it's worth.

Greta Gerwig as always shines and gives a lively and energetic performances, making herself out to be the next big indie "it" girl of the modern era.  Lola Kirke, whose most known role prior to this film was a small role in David Fincher's "Gone Girl," is also quite terrific in this movie.  She has this lovable "girl next door" look and attitude to her performance, which is enhanced by an adorable little lisp she has.  However when she brings on her sex appeal in certain scenes in the movie, my god does she bring it.  I can honestly see Kirke becoming something like the next Shailene Woodley or Jennifer Lawrence if the right cards are handed her way.  These two have terrific chemistry together, which work even better when they're in scenes with their fellow cast mates.  The second half, in particular, is where every single joke hits hard, every performance is great, and every bit of dialogue entertains.  I'm not going to spoil exactly what goes down during this section of the movie, but when you see it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

In case you couldn't tell, I love this movie.  Every note in this movie hit with grace to me, and for 84 minutes I was under complete control of Baumbach, Gerwig, and co.  Not only is this a great comedy and a relatable story about adjusting to a new life in a new place, but it's also a rather beautiful story of two strangers whose bond becomes bigger than the one that their parents are about to share together.  We have all had that special friend who not only shares common interests but just simply "gets" you.  They understand how your mind works and want to follow every move you make or help you on the path of righteousness.  This bond is what Brooke and Tracy share in this movie, and in my eyes, it's the best love story of 2015.

Because of school, and laziness, to be honest, this review has been in the draft stage for the past few months, so sadly this can't be experienced in the theater at this time.  However, it did just come out on Digital HD and should be on DVD very soon.  Do yourself a favor and just see this movie.  It can be with friends, family members, people you don't know, or even just yourself.  Either way, this is a movie that deserves to be seen before the year runs out.  "Mistress America" is a sharply written, expertly crafted, and perfectly paced comedy that has the funniest and possibly most relatable dialogue and story this year has seen.

ME WITH THE CO-WRITER/DIRECTOR OF 

"MISTRESS AMERICA," NOAH BAUMBACH, AFTER A SPECIAL SHOWING OF THE FILM ON 

AUGUST 21, 2015!!!!

REWIND REVIEW: While We're Young

MOVIE
While We're Young

CAST
Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts

RATING
R

RELEASE
March 27, 2015

DIRECTOR
Noah Baumbach

STUDIO
A24

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 37 minutes






STARS
***3/4










REVIEW:

In between working with his co-writer/female lead/muse Greta Gerwig, filmmaker Noah Baumbach made a little film called "While We're Young."  This is the story of a married couple in their 40s, played by Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts, who begin to feel full of life and youthful again after befriending a younger and more free-spirited couple played by Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried.  It's easy to pass this off as yet another movie that has people reminiscing about the "good ol' days," but Baumbach takes this concept and adds in a surprisingly relatable story-arc about people striving to make it to the top no matter the cost.  The script is well-written, Baumbach's direction is on point, and every actor delivers a strong performance.  Adam Driver in particular steals the show in every scene he's in.  If you haven't seen "While We're Young" yet, then definitely seek it out and give it a watch.  It is slow and weak at times, but everything great about this movie makes up for that.

REVIEW: People, Places, Things

MOVIE
People, Places, Things

CAST
Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall

RATING
R

RELEASE
August 14, 2015 (LIMITED/VOD)

DIRECTOR
Jim Strouse

STUDIO(S)
The Film Arcade,
Alchemy

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 26 minutes







STARS
****









REVIEW:

Jemaine Clement is one of those guys who can just charm the pants off of you once he enters the room and lets his New-Zealand accent flow out of his mouth.  His presence in the indie "People, Places, Things" is a welcoming one, and his character overall is someone who is engaging to watch throughout.  This film, coming to us from writer/director Jim Strouse, tells the story of a newly single father of twins.  After finding his wife cheating on him, he tries to juggle his life between raising twin girls, teaching college students how to become artists while he himself aspires to be a great graphic novelist, and keeping his romantic life in order.  This is a movie where nothing gigantic is featured in terms of telling the story, and yet every single thing put on screen feels necessary and vital to the film itself.

Aside from Clement giving hands down the best performance of his career, his chemistry with both Regina Hall and his younger co-stars bring an overall likability to the story and the cast.  Strouse manages to take realistic and harsh situations in life and give them an extremely authentic and sweet feel to it, making this 86 minute indie comedy incredibly joyous to watch.  It may be predictable, and it may have characters you might have seen before, but that doesn't take away from how charming, hilarious, and lovable this movie is as a whole.  It may just be the sympathetic hopeless romantic inside me saying this, but I really loved watching this movie.  Even when this light-hearted romp gets serious and dramatic, the emotions feel light and never too forced or over-bearing.  "People, Places, Things" is a simple, yet effective indie comedy that I'd highly recommend checking out before the year is up.  I have nothing bad to say about this, and I cannot wait to watch it again when time permits.

MINI-REVIEW: Pay The Ghost

MOVIE
Pay The Ghost

CAST
Nicolas Cage,
Sarah Wayne Callies

RATING
NR

RELEASE
September 25, 2015 (LIMTIED/VOD)

DIRECTOR
Uli Edel

STUDIO
RLJ Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 34 minutes









STARS
***









REVIEW:

Let's get something straight: I don't hate Nicolas Cage as an actor.  Sure he doesn't often choose roles that allow him to show off his chops, but he's always entertaining to watch on screen.  Earlier this year the Cage-meister released a mediocre film called "The Runner" that, unsurprisingly, barely anyone saw or heard of.  Now it's around the time of Halloween and yet another film featuring the star of "The Wicker Man" remake is making its way out there in a similar fashion to how "The Runner" got out there.  This film is titled "Pay The Ghost," and the basic storyline involves Cage's son being abducted by a supernatural entity.  Like any parent in a supernatural thriller, Cage's Mike Cole tries any means necessary to get his son back from this pissed off spirit.

Going into movies, I like to judge them for their positive and negative aspects as well as my overall enjoyment of it.  That may explain why I enjoy so many movies, even if they're poorly received.  "Pay The Ghost," unsurprisingly, was poorly received by the vast majority of critics who saw it.  Rotten Tomatoes has it currently listed at a 6% with only one positive review to the film's name.  It may just be my positive attitude or the fact that I'm not often harsh on movies, but I didn't think this was THAT bad of a film.  There may be problems present in the film, such as the mediocre acting from child actor Jack Fulton, the cheap as hell jump scares, and the overly predictable nature of the story itself, but honestly they didn't make the movie itself horrible.  The performances from Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies are solid, the story is engaging, the directing fine, and the movie as a whole is enjoyable entertainment that is worth a watch at home.  It may not be up there with some of Cage's best movies, but it's much better than a lot of his other recent VOD-released movies.