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Reviews
Sleepwalk with Me (2012)
Enjoyable Indie comedy from a Rookie Filmmaker
"Sleepwalk With Me" is a comedy about an comedian struggling with his act, his girlfriend and personal life all while experiencing a sleeping disorder that causes him to unconsciously act out his dreams, sounds like it could be pretty fun. It is for the most part, but the fun times turns to nightmares when acting out a dream on the road causes him to jump out of a 2nd story hotel, avoiding death, but crashing to the ground with shreds of glass tearing up his legs.
This is the type of balancing act that "Sleepwalk with me" successfully achieves throughout the Indie comedy that is adapted from the one man off-Broadway show with the same name. The film stars, and is loosely (and in the case of the window incident, really) based on comedian Mike Birbiglia's life.
As the movie opens we meet Matt Pandamiglio(Mike Birbiglia), talking directly into the camera we quickly learn that he is an aspiring comedian that recently in comedy clubs, has done much more floor mopping, and drink pouring than joke telling. We also meet his wonderful girlfriend Abby (Lauren Ambrose) who is gorgeous, and wonderful, and way too good for this janitor/bartender/hopeful comedian. The pressures of life are amplified by the couple moving in together and a continuous burden to accelerative his life and get married. Much of which comes from his loopy mother, and his unsympathetic father (Carol Kane, James Rebhorn). After meeting with a C-level talent agent, the seemingly unconfident, untalented comedian books a handful of gigs along the east coast college comedy circuit. Despite his lack of success, he remains optimistic and is at least making money telling jokes. During a post-show discussion with a successful comedian played by Marc Maron, he stumbles upon his comedic edge; his dreams, his relationship, his family
his personal life.
Despite the onstage success, this fresh material is surely going to cause issues with his girlfriend and compounded with his sleep disorder becoming more dangerous by the night; his life is still as lost as when we met him.
The movie is best when it shows what life on the road is like for a young comedian. As expected, jokes are present throughout, however, until Matt finally finds his niche as a comedian, much of his stand up is abysmal and awkward by design. The supporting cast all does its job as joke/ plot providers' admirably. His parents steal the scenes when on screen as the wearing married couple but I wish that the capable Lauren Ambrose could have been given a little more to do. It has lots of comedian cameos, I would imagine Birbiglia's real life pals, peppered in it throughout. David Wayne, Ira Glass, Kristen Schaal, Jessi Klein all make appearances as friends or comedians.
When everything wraps up I am impressed by the flow and balance of the movie from a rookie filmmaker in Mike Birbiglia. I am not too familiar with him on stage but I found him to be an enjoyable actor, who I was sympathetic for, while more than occasionally laughing along with him. The movie which he co-directs and is written by him and his brother along with "This American's life's" Ira Glass and co-director Seth Barrish is a very enjoyable Indie comedy that is well worth a visit, and I hope that there is more to come from this young comedian and filmmaking team.
See all my reviews at www.popcornmoviereview.com
Medium Popcorn with Butter.
Drive (2011)
A Quiet Killer
I am a little speechless after seeing Drive. Perhaps the character know only as "Driver" played by Ryan Gosling, wore off on me a little over the course of the film. He is a man of very few words, to say the least. It is a part that I can imagine Gosling jumped at the opportunity to play because he gets to play a B.A., stoic tough guy, drive fast cars in an excellent movie, and hardly had to learn any lines! The movie opens with Driver driving for a midnight robbery. He is precise with his directions to the criminals that they have 5 minutes to perform the heist or he is gone, but even more precise with his maneuvering of the Los Angeles City streets to escape from the pursuing police. That is his part time job.
By day he works as an auto mechanic for the shop run by Shannon (Bryan Cranston). Shannon is a master mechanic who often provides the cars that Driver uses in his 2nd life but is also a fairly innocent low man in the gangster operations of Nino (Ron Perlman) and Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks). These men are gangsters and we learn are very willing to kill to keep themselves afloat. Bernie Rose is a producer of sorts making low budget films in which Driver will often stunt drive for.
The story is a slow moving piece. As I mentioned there are few words spoke by the central character, but there is a ton of emotion and a lot at stake. The movie moves along fairly ambiguously for the first half and I was not sure in which direction the movie was going.
The plot thickens when Driver starts to fall for his neighbor Irene played by Carey Muligan. The Driver, Irene and her son Benicio become close, but the rest of the movie is far from a love story. It becomes a tangled mess of crimes that Driver gets himself into brought upon by Irene's husband who was recently released from prison. Driver is launched into trouble with the mob that he will do anything to get himself out of, but most importantly keep Irene and her child safe.
The rest of the movie is brilliant. It keeps you on the edge of your seat with very calculated suspense and action. It's a classic movie that shows, not tells you what is happening and I takes you along on a great ride.
Despite the simplified title, this movie isn't for the summer blockbuster action movie freaks. I remember the opening night at the AMC I often go to, had lines out the door for Drive. I was not going to see it that night but I recall looking at the crowd and seeing a ton of high school gear head types, with a lot of Fox racing and Nascar gear on. It looked like the same crowd that lined up for the Fast and the Furious series. I would guess that crowd didn't exactly get what they thought they were in for. It is a sleek and sexy film using the backdrop of an almost 80′s like nighttime watercolor painting. It is much more of the patient, particular genre than those that slap you in the face with car chases, flips, explosions and sex. It is much more of the patient, particular genre than those that slap you in the face with car chases, flips, explosions and sex. It is a first of its kind, one of a kind action/gangster film that I believe is perfectly executed and truly brilliant.
Large Popcorn See all my reviews at www.popcornmoviereview.com
The Devil's Double (2011)
A gangster movie with a terrific performance!
There are a lot of movies that you should not bring your young children to. The Devil's Double is absolutely one of those movies. However, that is exactly what the family on the other side of the theater did when I went to see this terrifically brutal, bloody and disturbing gangster movie. (Yes that's right, I said gangster movie, but I'll get back to that in a bit.) Don't get me wrong, I don't really care what people do with their own kids. In this case, maybe this family's three kids all under the age of 10 (I would suppose) have a tolerance beyond their years for brutal murders, drugs and rape scenes. Maybe it's no big deal for them. But I really get annoyed when they are talking, and laughing and crying during all the murder, drug and rape scenes. All joking aside, it is are really awful movie for children of that age to see, and the parents finally realized that and left about an 1:20 minutes in
during the orgy scene.
Bad movie for children, amazing movie for adults! I re-watched it in the quite confines of my screening room (bedroom) and solidified my view of this being one of my favorite movies of the year. Although it was not marketed as such, I along with other people described it as the Scarface of the Middle East.
The movie is very loosely based on the true story of Latif Tahia (Dominic Cooper) who in the early to mid 90's was forced to throw away his own life and be the "double" of the widely hated, morally deprived but unlimitedly powerful son of Saddam Hussein, Uday Hussein (Dominic Cooper). This man was evil to the core yet had all the resources in the country and unlimited money to do whatever he pleased.
We see the transformation of Latif into Uday, changing everything from his cheek bone structure to his nose, teeth and height. We also see Latif who was forced at gunpoint, change as a man who loves his county to a man who has nothing but disdain for Uday and the situation he has been forced into.
You read correctly above when I gave Dominic Cooper credit for both rolls. In a movie where one actor is needed to play two completely different personalities, Cooper delivers an Oscar worthy performance. The character (and in real life) Uday Hussein is (was) an absolute psycho, truly insane, willing to abduct a bride on her wedding day and rape her, or kidnap and deflower school girls walking home, or brutally kill his father's food taster in the middle of a dinner party. Cooper plays the over the top part to perfection, unfortunately stealing scenes from himself at times, when he is playing the much more mildly mannered Latif. The way the he plays the two juxtaposed from one another is truly incredible and so are the talents of director Lee Tamahori in his and his production team's execution The entire movie is a thrill ride with parties and orgy's and drugs and murders. It is a gangster movie at its absolute best and incredibly entertaining the whole way through. If I had to pick one part that didn't work to perfection is the part of Sarrab, played by the French actress Ludivine Sagnier. First, I could tell she was not Arab from the start. I suspected she had blond hair, which took me out of it. (She does naturally) and also I just never got the impression that her character would be playing both sides the way she does. I thought that particular story line lacked some depth. An aspect of the movie that hardly breaks the movie though.
As I already said this will surely be one of my favorite movies of the year and I strongly recommend going out and renting it on Blu-ray
just don't let your kids watch.
Large Popcorn with Butter.
See all my reviews at www.popcornmoviereview.com
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (2011)
Elmo Represents Love for All Generations!
"Elmo Represents Love", his love takes you over and warms your heart in one of the most passionate documentary's I've ever seen, "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey". The story of Kevin Clash going from a young boy with a dream of becoming a puppeteer, to providing the voice, the heart and the soul of the world's most beloved puppet; Elmo.
I was so excited to see this documentary. Even from the first time I read about it, I knew that it was going to be a heartfelt tale of a man who achieved his calling in life and is lucky enough to share that gift with people from all over the world and of all generations! When I first sat down in the theater to watch this film, my girlfriend and I were the only people in the seats. We were excited for a minute because we usually feel it's great to have the theater to yourself! Shortly after, a little flow of people came in and joined us. First it was a couple in their middle ages. Next it was a lone man who seemed closer to 100 than to 50. A handful of more couples walked in, one speaking in a foreign language, and finally a man walked in with his young son. I realized before the movie even began that this is a character, a story, and a movie going experience that touches everyone and spans generations. For the next hour and a half, we all sat together and laughed out loud, broke into tears and re-fell in love with Elmo.
Kevin Clash was not a typical kid growing up in the Baltimore area. He fell in love with the puppets he would see on TV and became so inspired that he dedicated all the free time he had to sewing his very own puppets and creating the characters and voices to go along with them. He had early success with his local TV station performing weekly on his very own show that gained local popularity. By the time he was 18 he had given life to more than 85 of his own puppets.
His career was taken to the next level when he was found by one of the most successful puppet creators in the business, a man with a very recognizable name, Kermit Love. Kermit Love took the young Kevin under his wing helping him land parts on shows such as "Captain Kangaroo" and "The Great Space Coaster" and later giving Kevin his biggest break, an introduction with Jim Henson.
The movie continues to talk about the life and rise to stardom of Kevin. The stories accounted are helped out by Kevin's mother and father, shown to always be supportive of Kevin's dream, his brothers and sisters, other puppeteers and entertainers that he has worked with, and unfortunately, Whoopi Goldberg. She would be credited as the Narrator if there was an official title given and I found her to be pretty annoying. In an honest story like this one I thought she was giving a forced emotion to her readings. The music in the movie, obviously assists in making it such a passion filled movie, is prevalent and I found it to be over the top at times. I don't know if there is a moment of the movie not accompanied by an inspiring backdrop of music.
The story very much focuses on the professional life and stardom of Kevin Clash. It almost, too obviously disregards his personal life. I missed the one mention of his "Ex-wife" in the movie and left thinking "with all the time away, this man must have never been at home for his family". It doesn't take anything away for the documentary's sake, but it was something that I noticed. The movie's purpose is to make you feel the love for the character and show selected parts of the puppeteer's journey. It is not a complete tale of the man himself. It chooses to include what it does to portray the desired message.
Perhaps the most interesting story is the creation of the Elmo character. Elmo was first a puppet on Sesame Street voiced in caveman like fashion by famous puppeteer Richard Hunt . When Hunt grew tired of the character and was fed up with the fuzzy red puppet he unceremoniously tossed it to Kevin Clash. In a matter of hours, Kevin transformed the puppet into the character we all now know and love. A Puppet that represents love, and hugs and kisses
and tickles! "Being Elmo" is a moving and heartwarming tale that everyone will enjoy! Large Popcorn.
See all my reviews at www.popcornmoviereview.com
Trolljegeren (2010)
TrollHunter! The Massive Conspiracy!
There is a massive conspiracy led by the Norwegian Government that is killing creatures that have roamed the beautiful mountains, forests and countryside of Norway for thousands of years. Before the footage in "Troll Hunter" was leaked to a film studio and made into this revealing film, no more than a handful of people knew of their existence. Three university film students Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud) his sound girl Johanna (Johanna Morck) and their camera man (Tomas Alf Larsen) head out on a mission at the beginning of the footage to expose an unlicensed bear poacher that has the public in a stir. After some investigative research they find a man named Hans (Otto Jespersen) a man who seemingly disappears during the night coming back in his tattered Land Rover to his oddly decorated shack in the mountains each morning. Believing that he must be the man killing the bears, they push for an interview and a look into his nocturnal actions. Following him deep into the woods one dark night, they uncover more than they were ever hoping for. They hear extremely loud growls off in the distance, accompanied by shaking from the tallest trees as they heroically capture the first footage of the beasts that live in the Norwegian woods! Hans runs madly back toward his Land Rover screaming at them to run but yelling only one word, "Troll"! They escaped from danger that night with Hans flashing his bright lights at the three story tall troll turning him into stone. The next day Thomas and his crew persist and are finally invited by Hans into the world of Troll Hunting. Hans explains his history of being in the armed forces and that he has been the sole troll hunter in Norway for the past 20 years. He teaches the film crew about the different species of Trolls, where they live, how long they have existed, their incapability of processing vitamin D turning them into stone when exposed to light and their desire to hunt and kill anyone with Christian Blood. He talks about the massive cover up by the government, concealing the trolls' existence from the population for thousands of years, how he is sick of killing the species, sick of the cover up, and sick of not getting night pay. He allows the film crew to follow him, see the Trolls first hand, and tell the story to the masses. The story is a "Blair Witch Projecty" documentary with suspense, fear, comedy, beautiful landscapes and Trolls! It is an interesting and enlightening film that is entertaining if in the right mood. Its pace is a little unsteady remembering that I checked the remaining time at a few of points throughout the experience but overall I finished well entertained and informed. If you are in the mood for a subtitled, pretty fun ride, sit back enjoy and learn.
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)
He really does need an audience!
Conan O' Brien Can't stop is a really funny documentary that invites you on tour with Conan, Andy Richter, the Band and all of his staff during his 44 show "Legally Prohibited from being on TV Tour". It's incredibly engaging and a movie that has it all. This film has everything thing. It is a comedy with great jokes created right before your eyes, a behind the scenes inside Hollywood piece and an emotional in depth look at a popular TV icon we're all used to making us laugh.
I was very excited when I found out that this documentary was being made. I was one of a few thousand lucky fans that got to go to his show when he came to Minneapolis and enjoyed his show more than most that I see! It was a fast paced blend of music and comedy, sketches and video clips that fulfilled everything I was hoping for and much more.
The documentary begins with some reflection from the former Tonight Show Host of 7 months while driving down the freeway in Los Angeles. His new home after relocating from New York for the short lived run on the #1 late night show. He mentions as he is thinking out loud to the director and camera that he "can't just stop" he doesn't even know what that means.
He also says that he has always felt more comfortable with an audience.
I think that is the sentiment that I found throughout the movie to ring most true. He was lost after they took his show away and banned him from TV, Radio and the Internet. He could not have an audience come and watch him. He had no idea what to do, he needed an audience, so he decided that he would go to the audience. He put together a team of writers and producers and they decided to write a touring show.
The movie is an incredible in depth look at the project from the ground up. A really interesting scene came when they "leaked" the word on the internet that tickets were on sale for some select cities. Thousands of tickets sold immediately, whole cities were sold out in minutes. They finally realized the monster they created and realized they better write a great show fast! The film shows you the creative process that Conan and the writers went through in the beginning meetings trying to figure out what the show would be. This is another area where I felt that Conan was always most comfortable when surrounded by an audience, because even in the meetings with his staff, there is no doubt who the leading character always is. These scenes and most throughout are always hilarious.
As the film and tour go on, we see the grind of a tour really breaking Conan down in certain scenes and cities. He grows frustrated because he is being spread so thin...so many meet and greets, so many photos and autograph sessions. There are spots when it really frustrates him and I am glad that he allowed those scenes to be put in the movie because they do show a darker side of him that most of us haven't seen, and some probably don't like. I personally thought that he always handled himself and the frustrating moments with professionalism, and no matter how hard it was to turn up that charm, he always found it and shined. Even if it was a situation where he would slam the door after signing 200 autographs after a show and muttered an expletive under his breath, he certainly was better behaved than the majority of celebrities throughout the years.
I believe it's because he knows, he always needs an audience. If he is rude, doesn't go out and sign that autograph or take that picture, he knows they may not come back.
Conan O' Brian Can't Stop is a very bold project for Conan and is a great view inside of him and his tour that he made for his fans. It is engaging, usually hilarious, and I definitely recommend it for anyone who is a fan of his, a fan of music, a fan of late night talk shows, Hollywood, or anyone that enjoys a great documentary.
Large Popcorn!
Ed Wood (1994)
Shouldn't have passed on it for so long
I finally finished the movie Ed Wood after it sat sadly in its Netflix sleeve for over a week on my dresser. I don't know what my hesitation was, but after three attempted viewing sessions I finally got to it. I think initially it was the fact that it was a movie made in 1994. I have been finding movies made in the 90's and especially early 90's to have a trait about them that I find very cheesy. It may be the score, the transitional shots
I'm not sure. A good example, although it is from one of my favorite movies, is when at the end of "A Few Good Men" a big cursive "The End" is written across the screen
lame! Anyways, Ed Wood is also shot in Black and White which initially doesn't either delight my eye or excite me. This movie on the other hand, as a whole, did those things very quickly! I thought Johnny Depp's portrayal of Ed Wood was very engaging. I didn't know anything about Ed Wood but whether he was as unique as a character in life as Depps portrayal or not, his life certainly made for a great bio pic. Everything is bizarre and I believe that Ed Wood would love this movie. As I watched with my computer by my side, I would pause to learn a little about the real life movie makers. It's interesting that Ed Wood never really reached critical fame with any mainstream movies of success. I guess the way that he made movies didn't lend to that kind of stardom.
The question is then, why do we know about him? Why was this movie made? Why do we care? The answer is that he was so passionate, entertaining and peculiar once people did find out about him, that I'm sure they wanted to know more and more and talk about him and his story to everyone.
The other performance in the movie that can't go unmentioned is the Martin Landau's performance of Bela Lugosi. Lugosi is the actor of Count Dracula fame that according to this movie met Ed Wood in a random occurrence and acted as Wood's leading man in many films until his death. I found his performance in relation to his drug abuse most entertaining.
I definitely recommend this move to watch and learn about an old obscure filmmaker.
If you rent the DVD I would recommend watching the bonus features as well, there is a really cool little section about the Theremin instrument! It's the one that makes all of the cool horror sounds and is controlled or played by the movement of your hands! Medium Popcorn with Butter! Check out more reviews or add your own to my new website www.popcornmoviereview.com, or email me at alan-just@hotmail.com with any suggestions or comments.