Dave_ATC Reviews

Ruby Sparks (2012)

Review: Ruby Sparks - On Par With 500 Days of Summer and Like Crazy

[8/10 · 7 July 2012]

Ruby Sparks is a narcissistic narrative from the fingertips of a lonely writer, blossoming into a Pinocchio-like tale that binds fiction, fable and phenomenon.

How hard is it to find the girl of your dreams? If you found her, would she really live up to your expectations?

As a writer, journalist, blogger, and someone who knows the struggles associated with putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, this movie hits home. Not in the sense where I've created imaginary friends, or girls to associate with, but the difficulty, and anguish that comes with writing. It's often said that writers hate to write, but eventually say they are happy that they have written, no film will hold that truth more than Ruby Sparks.

Paul Dano stars as Calvin, a young writing prodigy who experienced fame around the age of 19 after writing a New York Times Best Selling Novel. Since then he has traveled with expectations of another great literary work. Like every writer on the face of this planet (myself included as I write this) his writers block triumphs over all, and he even goes to therapy about it.

One night, while asleep, he dreams of his "dream" girl, instantly he awakes and springs to his typewriter, because well…it's 2012 and why would he have a laptop. Calvin writes about his dream girl, an entire story, and then POOF, like magic, she appears in his house like she was there the whole time.

I love the idea. I adore the premise of this film; simply because it's such a bizarre fantasy, one that every guy would kill for, and it was translated onto film in such an endearing and powerful way.

The story unfolds in three parts, you get the set up of who Calvin is, you see his struggle with writing something new, and then we meet Ruby, then the realities of the situation begin to take shape. Ruby Sparks is a romantic fantasy that exudes passion, charm, laugher, and pain. It balances the realities of life with the mythical substance created inside of Calvin's forthcoming pages.

Zoe Kazan plays Ruby, the red-haired, spunky counterpart of Calvin's imagination. Appearing out of thin air, and into Calvin's life; from the discovery of her actual existence to basking in the fermenting love connection, Calvin and Ruby are two peas in a pod. It's pure bliss, like two perfect people found each other, it's nothing short of a hocus pocus spell in the eyes of Calvin.

Kazan deserves bonus kudos for also writing the film, along with starring in it.

Now as Calvin comes to terms with the fact that he has created his dream girl, he finds out he can also make her do whatever he wants, as long as he types it into the story. Sure, far fetched, his brother, Harry, played by Chris Messina doesn't believe this farce of a story either, so proof must be provided. Calvin can make her speak fluent French, be an amazing cook, snap while she talks, extremely happy and bouncy, or even really sad.

He is a puppeteer.

So now the question presents itself, if you had this ability, how far would you go? You control another human being, they are your robot, you are their master, that's what this film and Calvin is/are at it's core. And how interesting is that, as writers we can manipulate characters and stories any way we want with the help of the keys, Calvin is the sculptor of Ruby not only on paper, but in real life.

The film unfolds as Calvin tells his brother, "I'll never write about her again" meaning he wasn't going to finish the story that created Ruby, so that she, nor the relationship would be ruined. The young author soon realizes that once you let go of the creative control of another person, they begin to develop personalities and traits of their own, also known as character, Ruby, being fresh in Calvin's life starts gaining independence and self awareness.

This is where the struggle, and emotional anguish of the film begins. Here is what bridges the gap of Ruby Sparks from imaginary tale, pure doses of reality.

Paul Dano continues to grow, and shine as an actor, his latest work in Being Flynn, and here in Ruby Sparks, have shown the amount of versatility, and depth he can covey in roles. The lanky frame, cardigan wearing, mop hair style makes him the quintessential writer-type, while real life girl friend Zoe Kazan and her bright hair and blue eyes play Ruby to be the girl men would certainly desire.

The chemistry is felt throughout the film, from the happy scenes, to the climax, gut wrenching fight scenes, you must wonder what kind of a toll this took on the actual relationship during production? I have a slight beef with the ending as it was a tad predictable, not from the start of the film, but as the film is coming to a close you can sort of tell how it will end, in a romantic and sweet way.

Supporting roles from Annette Bening as Calvin's hippy mother, Antonio Banderes as her carpenter boyfriend, Steve Coogan, and therapist Elliot Gould, all add great depth and feel to the film.

Great (young) romantic films are impossible to come by, especially ones that also feel authentic. I can only think of two in the last handful of years, 500 Days of Summer, and Like Crazy. I'm confident to proclaim Ruby Sparks is being thrown on that mantel (of mine), and young folks from 18-30 should really love this film.

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Review: Prometheus - Welcome Back Ridley Scott!

[9/10 · 10 June 2012]

In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a figure who represented the human fight for more, and the quest for more scientific knowledge.

The meaning of life, the process of creation; from The Big Bang Theory, to religious prophecies, to dinosaurs and cave men; it's been something humans have been trying to figure out since the dawn of time.

Ridley Scott was determined to answer the question of creation, by going to the future, and taking a ship where it's never gone before.

Noomi Rapace plays Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, one of the two main scientists for the mission aboard Prometheus along with Logan Marshall-Green who plays Dr. Charlie Holloway. This has been their life mission, and their biggest discovery to date.

They are recruited by Meredith Vickers, a distant, cold, money and power hungry woman played by Charlize Theron. Theron does a good job as the quasi-antagonist with an agenda. The most interesting character they encounter is David, he looks like a human, but is indeed an android, played by Michael Fassbender.

With rumors swirling for about two years that this was a prequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 gold mine Alien, Scott made it a point to shoot down said rumors any chance he could. He stated that Prometheus was strong enough to stand on it's on as a film, even though it would take place in a similar universe. Still the skeptics did not believe him.

With Scott coming back to the Sci-Fi genre, you knew he wasn't going to half-ass it. And it shows. The film is so beautiful, the visuals, the universe which the film takes place in. From the structures, to the discoveries, it's awe-inspiring. The special effects are few and far between, on purpose by Scott who was determined to use as much "real" footage as possible as to not tarnish the movie, or make it look like a joke.

This film is all about the thought process within. The search for creation, and answers to our beginning are beyond complex, and after watching this, maybe you'll understand why it's better off not knowing.

Fascinated by their purpose to find answers, the oddity of the film lies with David, played brilliantly by Fassbender might I add. In a role unlike he has ever played before, when we are introduced to him, you can't help but be confused by his mannerism, his speech pattern, and eventually the reasoning for his actions. Being an android means, you're not human, with no feelings or conscious. David states all these things many times, as he is aboard the ship to help those on board with anything they may need. Here's a major connection I made…Back to the mythology...

The titan Prometheus was a servant to the Gods, which aptly describes what David was created for, and, what his role was aboard the ship. Fassbender delivers the best performance of the film, the best performance by any actor in a film this year,so far, and I will be shocked if he doesn't at least get an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

More kudos have to be given to Rapace, who leads this film with force. Her character Elizabeth Shaw is so strong, believable, she fights for her cause, and is willing to risk it all. Rapace is sheer brilliance on screen, and is featured in a scene that will be remembered for a very long time for it's horror, gore and shock. Prometheus will be the vehicle that drives Rapace to becoming a household name.

I can't over state how aesthetically pleasing this film is. Forget the nonsense like Avatar, this may be the most visually beautiful film I have ever seen. Nothing is given color unless it is needed, every structure and stone served a purpose, it didn't look cheap, and it's simply mesmerizing.

If we are looking to minus points from the film, the one thing I can point to where the lack of character development, and the inability to defend the actions of the characters. This mainly is attributed to too many chefs in the kitchen, or characters on board the ship in this case. There was not enough screen time, or story to make each of them meaningful. It's almost as if there were major scenes cut out of the film that would have better explained certain actions, and reactions. These issues can be overlooked, but during the film you are often wondering why someone did what they did, and unfortunately there is no definitive answer.

We can also attribute the above to Damon Lindelof, who just so happened to write the hit ABC sci-fi, mind-bending series LOST. There are major plot points at the start, middle and end that go unexplained, just like LOST. From the actual opening scene during the credits, to actions David does to Dr. Holloway. Gotta give us some closure!

I made it a point to tell as many people as possible to temper their expectations for this film, fearing, from the marketing, trailers and general taste of science-fiction films that it would be very hit or miss. If you go into a film expecting greatness, chances are it will disappoint. Maybe that helped me enjoy the film as much as I did.

Ridley Scott is a master of his craft, and we should thank him for coming back to the sci-fi genre. With this picture, he has produced another remarkable notch on his belt, as the direction, cinematography, and beauty of this film cannot be stressed enough.

Prometheus is the most entertaining, thought provoking, and visually pleasing film of the year. Being dumbfounded and blown away after a film is rare to say the least, with Prometheus I was both, and still am.

All In: The Poker Movie (2009)

All In: The Poker Movie - A Look at the Rise, Fall and In Between of the Poker World

[9/10 · 21 March 2012]

Nostalgia.

That's what I felt throughout this poignant documentary; telling the tale of Poker's origin, to the poker boom known as the "Moneymaker Effect" all the way to April 15th, 2011, not tax day, but better known in the poker world as "Black Friday."

I remember starting high school around the time Chris Moneymaker was starting the World Series Of Poker in 2003. Everyday a group of friends and I would play poker in the lunchroom on long white tables. We'd always discuss what was going on at the WSOP, it was like a sporting event. When Moneymaker won it all, poker blew up.

All In: The Poker Movie is a trip behind the looking glass of the usually close knit and private world of poker.

Director Douglas Triola presents the documentary in a very different fashion. Not only are there very candid interviews with the greatest poker minds in the world, which gives you get the feeling of being in school, but there is a smattering of factoids thrown at you randomly at times.

Throughout the film key points are brought up in bulletin fashion ala a high school class room, they are sometimes followed by a kicker that makes the audience chuckle or let out a collective "aahhh" as if to reaffirm their pleasure for learning something new.

Then there are times when Triola leaves the audience hanging, he'll present a topic of conversation, or major point in either the development of poker or it's growth, and abandon it, only to have it resurface later on in the film.

You get the feeling like the players who are being interviewed; from the likes of The Poker Brat Phil Hellmuth Jr. and the unabomber Phil Laak to Annie Duke, The Professor Howard Lederer, and even Matt Damon, are speaking and informing just you.

It's all very cordial, and loose, almost like being at a diner or a bar.

That's not to say that the tone doesn't change drastically once "Black Friday" is brought up, which in fact starts the film and caps it off.

In fact, prior to the documentary starting Triola said that there were tons of edits made in order to make the film as current as possible, saying there was information put in as late as February of 2012.

There are three central themes the film focuses on. The first being the game of poker itself, the rich history it has, the false stereotypes that go along with the idea of being a poker player, and what it's like to be immersed in the world of poker itself. Secondly the documentary tells the story of Chris Moneymaker, a "regular Joe" from Tennessee who was making $45,000 as an accountant in 2003 when he entered and won the World Series of Poker.

Moneymaker's story is riveting. He opens up about his college days, his father, and the road leading up to his now infamous entry into the World Series of Poker. It's something every poker player needs to see, this isn't something you'll find on his wikipedia page, trust me I checked.

The third, and my favorite sticking point of the documentary was the inside look at "Black Friday." For those unfamiliar, up until April 15th, 2011 – you could play online poker in the United States from the comfort of your couch. People were making their living off of online poker via sites like PartyPoker, PokerStars and FullTiltPoker. Legalities came into play and when "Black Friday" rolled around, the biggest online poker sites were shut down and seized by the Department of Justice.

Triola goes more in depth on details in the documentary, but the most captivating part of this potion were the reactions from the poker pros. Levels of anger, disgust, befuddlement, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Many likened "Black Friday" to the JFK Assassination in terms of every poker player knowing exactly where they were when they heard the news of these sites being shut down.

With the splattering of scenes from the most famous of poker movies like The Cincinnati Kid, Rounders and more, you're always reminded of just how mainstream poker has always been. The idea that it's a shady game with crooks and thieves is a notion of the past.

All In: The Poker Movie is a concoction of poker history, the trials and tribulations, from the emphatic rise to the chilling fall.

But one constant is ever-present, and that's the love of the game.

Referred to by some as "America's real pastime," the pros in the film and Triola make sure to hammer home and romanticize the game; letting everyone know that the government can take away the online action for a little while, but the game of poker itself is here to stay.

Project X (2012)

Project X - Unlike Anything You've Seen

[8/10 · 27 February 2012]

How far would you go to become a legend?

Would you have more people in your backyard then some countries in the world? Would you obliterate your parents' million dollar home? How about set your entire neighborhood ablaze? For Thomas, Costa, and JB this was just the tip of the iceberg.

We welcome back Todd Phillips, infamously now known for Producing such films you may have heard of like The Hangover, The Hangover Part 2, Due Date and Old School.

Phillips brings us a film in Project X unlike we have ever seen before.

Imagine the most insane, mind-numbing, seizure inducing high school party possible, then multiply that by about million, and you have yourself, Thomas Cub's epic birthday bash.

It's hard to describe this film, because so much is happening all at once.

Don't listen to the people that want to compare Project X with The Hangover or Super Bad, while there are some similar underlying tones, all three films are very different.

Project X begins with Oliver Cooper who plays Costa coming to Thomas' house on the day of his birthday with plans of throwing a big soiree as JB would say. The catch is Costa hired an AV nerd, Dax, to film the entire event, from a first person point of view.

Now most of the film is shot this way, and when I noticed the first few minutes were continuously through this perspective, I was worried for the rest of the film. Rest assured, there is no shaky camera for two hours, and it does not become a distraction.

In fact, for this film it was actually the perfect way to present the party.

Thomas Mann plays Thomas, he's sort of a "loser" as even his dad describes him, while JB played by Jonathan Daniel Brown is the token fat kid who chimes in with awkward input here and there.

Costa is the brains of the operation, he wants to throw Thomas a huge party for his birthday while is parents are out of town, while at the same time get laid and become infamous for all of eternity throughout California.

The greatest quality of Project X is how bad it makes you want to be there.

With the first-person camera view, you're engulfed into the madness, from all the crazy dancing, to massive amounts of drug use to outrageous hijinks performed by various party crashers. It literally comes off as the greatest party you've ever seen. EVER.

And for that to be depicted so vividly on film by Todd Phillips and director Nima Nourizadeh, deserves a drunken stupor-like round of applause.

Then there is the music. Todd Phillips has been known to be ahead of the curb with music selection in his films, and the choices he makes here are phenomenal. Every major scene is accompanied by a great song, that gives this monstrosity of a party the feel it deserves.

As the party progresses obviously things go haywire. From a missing dog, to midgets, to jumping off the roof of the house, that doesn't even give you a taste of what is about to come.

The element of surprise, in terms of shock and awe of what will be around the next corner is the basis for Project X.

If you don't leave this film wanting to go out and have the night of your life, you don't have a pulse.

I give a ton of credit to the casting of this film. One of the best things they did was bring in the three leads who are unknown. It made you really enjoy the journey because there was no star power. Will this film catapult Oliver Cooper, Thomas Mann or Jonathan Daniel Brown into stardom like it did for Jonah Hill in Superbad, time will tell.

There use to be a T.V. show on Nickelodeon called "Wild and Crazy Kids" well this is the high school version…with more drugs, nudity, swearing, and fire.

Simply put, this is the greatest, most unfathomable set of events taken place at a party that we have ever seen. And we all haven't lived life to the fullest unless we were apart of it. Because after you finish watching it, you'll be wishing you were there, you can count on that.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Fighter (I) (2010)

More than Just a Boxing Movie

[9/10 · 19 December 2010]

I just came back from the theater and had to write a review, first and foremost, GREAT MOVIE.

It's not just a boxing movie, the reason it was so good is because it focused on everything else. You see what goes on behind the fight, the drama of family and the build up to the actual event.

Christian Bale was tremendous, literally stole the show in every scene. He continues to impress as he moves from extremes like Batman and Public Enemies, to this. He has best supporting actor hands down in my opinion. Mark Wahlberg does a good job, it seemed like this role was made for him, it just fit his character and style well, but he didn't really steal the show. That being said he was very serviceable and played the part convincingly. Amy Adams, who plays Ward's girlfriend, sheds her romantic comedy side and plays a gritty, no-holds-barred tough chick, very nice to see. Melissa Leo, who plays Ward's mother, was scary good. She had me all kinds of angry at her throughout the film, just tons of emotions aimed at her simply from the depiction of her character, great acting job, can't ask for more.

The movie was very well done, had you on edge, just waiting to see what happened next. The fights were very well shot, had me clenching my hands together, it was that intense.

Go see this, you won't regret it.

The Other Guys (2010)

Wahlberg and Ferrell Deliver Hilariously

[8/10 · 29 July 2010]

I saw the advanced screening tonight in New York City and it was hilarious. The dry humor was tremendous and the chemistry between Marky Mark and Will Ferrell is unmatched. They were so funny together it was great. The story of the movie is pretty predictable but there legit is non stop laughter through the entire film. The only draw back was the length of the movie, they could have trimmed it a bit but overall it's a solid summer comedy. Dare I say this was Will Ferrell's best performance since Anchorman. It's certainly one of those movies you will be quoting with your friends for a long time. The entire theater was laughing throughout the entire thing..Great movie...go check it out.