Review by-Jarrett Leahy
After not talking to one another for over ten years, estranged twins Milo and Maggie reunite when Milo’s attempted suicide is thwarted. Sorrowful for their prolonged separation, Maggie invites her brother to come live her and her good-egg husband Lance. As these once close siblings begin to reconcile and share veiled frustrations, old wounds are opened, forcing them to confront inner demons long since forgotten. Soon, they recognize that mending their broken relationship just might be the key to helping each other fix their respective lives.
Co-written and directed by filmmaker Craig Johnson, The Skeleton Twins is an engaging and stirring dramatic comedy starring Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Luke Wilson. Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Skeleton Twins is Johnson’s second directorial effort and showcases a filmmaker who is secure enough in his talents to allow his stars obvious creative input in the development of their characters. With his story of two kindred souls whose shared connection to a harrowing past is the bond that helps fuel their personal and emotional growth, Johnson adeptly avoids the pitfalls of tired indie comedy cliches by infusing precise bursts of heartfelt humor to help make the film’s more earnest moments more palatable and heartrending.
Casting two of Saturday Night Live’s most beloved contemporary stars can be seen by some as a bit of a marketing ploy on the filmmaker’s part. But these two gifted actors do a remarkable job not relying solely on their established appeal, instead employing their obvious professional chemistry to forge an affectionate sibling relationship that is equally bizarre and profound. Of the two performances, it is Hader’s that surprised me the most. Playing Milo, Hader shows a surprising depth and aptitude for this emotionally complex man whose convoluted feelings for a past lover, Rich, blinds him to the wounds their forbidden relationship still generates. While not quite at the level of a Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love, Hader’s successful foray into the world of dramatic acting opens up a whole new world of possibilities for this avid aficionado of cinema history. I hope he seizes his opportunity.
Ever since her Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for Bridemaids back in 2011, Kristen Wiig has been on the fast track to A-level status in Hollywood, and rightfully so. Her spellbinding performance in last year’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty almost single-handedly made the Christmas dud a watchable movie. In The Skeleton Twins, Wiig proves yet again she’s far more than just a skilled comedienne. Playing a character who is deliberately aloof and secretive to those she loves most, Wiig’s subtle delivery creates a complex and sympathetic character. Together, Hader and Wiig are a perfect partnership whose sincere agreeableness makes the painful moments shared between their characters that much more distressing. The whimsical moments these two create, most notably a priceless lip-syncing scene to Starship’s 80’s duet Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, had me snickering in embarrassed amusement.
I must take a minute to mention Luke Wilson whose offbeat portrayal of naïve, nice guy Lance added the right amount of droll quirkiness, offering a perfect supporting performance to aid Hader and Wiig’s shining portrayals. While admittedly anticipating a more conventionally frivolous comedy, The Skeleton Twins is one of those rare films that shattered all preconceived expectations I had for the film. Darker and more somber than the trailer led me to expect, Johnson’s poignant examination about the emotional scars left from past traumas is exponentially more candid and sincere than I had anticipated. Transcending their Saturday Night Live personae, Hader and Wiig are a truly charismatic team. As each fuels off the energy of other, both reach a level of genuine emotional depth in their characters that I don’t think either could have attained working with anyone else. The Skeleton Twins is a confident piece of cinema from a relatively new filmmaker and shows, in this growing age of the blockbuster, why so many of us still love independent films.-JL
Review by-Jarrett Leahy
A post-apocalyptic drama that some have playfully described as the unofficial prequel to Mad Max, The Rover is the second feature film of Australian writer/director David Michod. Michod’s directorial debut, the dark crime drama Animal Kingdom, was a breakout hit of 2010 (my #8 film of that year) and earned fellow Australian actress Jackie Weaver her first of two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress (her second coming in Silver Linings Playbook). With The Rover, Michod teamed up with Aussie actor Joel Edgerton (Warrior, The Great Gatsby) to write the story for this foreboding drama about a man’s perilous expedition to hunt down the criminals who wronged him. Unfortunately, for all the film’s ominous atmosphere and menacing bursts of savagery, in the end, Michod’s grim creation comes off as a bit stagnant and anticlimactic.
More than anything, it was the film’s Australian wilderness location that originally drew me to The Rover. Michod and cinematographer Natasha Braier do an admirable job capturing the vast, boundless beauty of the Outback while utilizing its distressing desolation to aid the film’s apprehensiveness. Anthony Partos, the veteran composer who also worked with Michod on Animal Kingdom, helped further the film’s uncomfortable feeling of isolation with a haunting musical score that played up the sinister aspect of this society in shambles. Unfortunately, this climactic atmosphere is all but wasted by an ending I found to be disappointingly innocuous and insipid.
Not all is lost, however, when it comes to The Rover. The film’s lustrous highlight is its lead performer, Guy Pearce. A veteran actor of limitless talents, his nothing-left-to-lose persona is superbly malevolent. Embracing the untamed brutality and malcontent of this misanthropic antihero, Pearce’s Eric is unrelenting in his desire for retribution. Teaming up with Pearce is consummate teen heartthrob Robert Pattinson. Similar to many of Shia LaBeouf’s recent role choices, Pattinson’s overly-unpolished portrayal of Rey screams of a man desperate to shake his unwavering Twilight persona. Delivering an indistinct, out-of-place accent that sounds like an odd combination of East Texas meets Forrest Gump, Pattinson’s performance is…sufficient, yet it still feels grossly underwhelming when compared to his far superior counterpart.
After my immense enjoyment of his first film, I had a moderate anticipation to see what David Michod had in store for us with The Rover. While by no means a failure, Michod’s post-apocalyptic examination of the ugliness of man is a bleak drama that falls flat of its lofty ambitions due in large part to an ending that is disappointingly inadequate in comparison to the events building up to it. Highlighted by Guy Pearce’s ferocious and malice-filled performance, there is enough here, nonetheless, for me to give Michod another chance to wow me with whatever project he chooses to tackle next.-JL
Review by-Jarrett Leahy
Over the last twenty years, director David Fincher has established himself as one of the most gifted American filmmakers in the business today. His illustrious resume includes Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. His latest effort, Gone Girl, is a tension-riddled and untamed thriller that only adds to his legacy as a master storyteller. As with his previous two films, Fincher again teams up with the Academy Award winning music team of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Through Reznor and Ross’ intensely atmospheric musical score along with long-time collaborator Jeff Cronenweth’s eerie cinematography, Fincher perfectly elicits an unnerving anxiety and sustained suspense.
Originally a New York Times best-selling novel, Gone Girl was authored by Gillian Flynn who wrote her heralded book after being fired from her job at Entertainment Weekly and was brought in to pen the film’s screenplay. In this hyper-sensitive age of no spoilers, attempting to go into any great detail about the story of Gone Girl quickly opens up a dangerous Pandora’s box. In fact, I personally stopped taking notes about halfway through the film because I knew whatever I wrote would be useless in my review. Part detective story, part satirical black comedy, Gone Girl offers a biting criticism about the capricious nature of today’s social media-obsessed culture. Through mocking caricaturizations of some of today’s popular “news pundits,” we see how a media frenzy can take a provocative story and sensationalize it to extreme levels.
One actor who has first-hand knowledge to the wrath of a media hysteria is certainly the star of Gone Girl, Ben Affleck. In fact, has any movie star of recent memory had a more tumultuous career? After watching his professional reputation take an absolute nosedive following the Jennifer Lopez debacle, Affleck’s recent resurgence as an actor over these last few years is due in large part to his exceptional work as a filmmaker. Now a two-time Academy Award winner (Best Original Screenplay-Good Will Hunting, Best Picture-Argo), Affleck’s imprint on the film industry over the last two decades cannot be overstated. Destined to be one of 2014’s cinema highlights, Gone Girl only adds to Affeck’s dynamic resume. Reminiscent of Cary Grant in Hitchcock’s Suspicion, Affleck’s cunning, close-to-the-vest portrayal truly keeps us guessing throughout as we aren’t quite sure of Nick Dunne’s innocence or guilt. Being an actor whose career timeline mirrors that of the internet age, Affleck’s intimate knowledge of the effects of public opinion can certainly be seen in his portrayal of Dunne, as he adeptly illustrates the overwhelming pressure and frustrations that come from having every word and move scrutinized on national TV. While there will always be some that will never give Affleck the credit he deserves for his acting skills, it is his understated performance in Gone Girl that allows others, like that of Rosamund Pike, to truly shine.
And boy does she. Originally from London, England, it is reported that Pike beat out the likes of Emily Blunt, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, and Olivia Wilde to get this prized role. After seeing the unabashed commitment this respective character required, it makes sense that Fincher would want a relatively unknown to play Nick’s wife, Amy. Mesmerizing and secretive, as others have stated, this is a “star is born” kind of performance from Pike. As Oscar season begins to unfold these next few months, I’d be truly shocked if her name isn’t at the top of many experts’ lists for possible nomination.
Offering a profusion of superb supporting performances from the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Sela Ward, and Missi Pyle, I must take a moment to recognize Tyler Perry, whose flawless portrayal of sleazy defense lawyer Tanner Bolt shows that he just might be able to act after all. With its uncompromising discourse and contemporary pop culture references, David Fincher has unequivocally created a great movie of the moment. I’ll be curious, however, to see how his film ages, as great movies of the moment tend to go down one of two paths, either they define a moment in time and become beloved classics, or they are trapped by the moment and lose their universal appeal. Part police procedural, part mystery thriller, part social commentary about our media-obsessed culture, Gone Girl is a pulp extravaganza that never ceases to astound with its myriad of perverse twists and turns. While Affleck’s fearless performance recalls the Hitchcockian Cary Grant on display in Suspicion, it is Rosamund Pike who has thrown down the gauntlet for any actress who hopes to win a Best Actress Oscar in 2014, as her hypnotizing performance is truly one for the annals.-JL
Review by-Jarrett Leahy
Dock Phillip Ellis, Jr. was born March 11th, 1945 in Los Angeles, CA. A self-proclaimed troublemaker, Ellis first became involved with drugs and alcohol at age 14, around the time his father’s death. Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1964, Ellis made his major league debut in June of 1968 and quickly became a contributor to the success of the Pirates. Ever the entertainer, Ellis was a beloved teammate, as seen firsthand by the number of former colleagues who agreed to participate in the documentary. Through candid interviews with Ellis, along with a slew of friends and family, we get an intimate examination of the extreme highs and frightening lows of this complicated antihero. With a subject as compelling and complicated as Dock Ellis is, I appreciated that the film doesn’t gloss over the more sordid tales of his outlandish life. This is thanks to, in large part, Doc Ellis himself, who never attempts to whitewash any of the more shocking moments of his past life. As I sat in the theater listening to Mr. Ellis share one crazy story after another, I couldn’t decide what was more astonishing: that he was able to survive what he inflicted upon himself or that he managed to clean up his act and later went on to help others who battle similar issues with addiction.
As the title suggests, filmmaker Jeff Radice’s directorial debut centers around what is now considered the most infamous event of Dock Ellis’ career, his no-hitter against the San Diego Padres that he later claimed was achieved while high on LSD. As the film explains in great detail, Dock was known around the league for pitching under the influence (he estimated taking upwards of 15-17 amphetamine pills per start). Ellis talks about how the opposing players had a suspicion he may have been high; they just didn’t know on what. Through a hallucinatory barrage of art renditions, Radice offers a vivid visual of Ellis’ description of the event. While this story has long since been doubted by reporters who were there that day, who am I to question the man’s claim, and like the famous line in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance says, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
In a decade known for flamboyant decadence, Dock Ellis,who died in 2008, was one of the most splashy, colorful, and bombastic players ever to don a Major League uniform. A beloved teammate whose unabashed outspokenness helped usher in the era of free agency and improved player rights, I found Radice’s film to be a fitting tribute to both the man and the decade it highlights. Nominated for Best Documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, No No: A Dockumentary is an inspiring and poignant examination of one of baseball’s most complicated stars.-JL
Review by-Jarrett Leahy
Tomato Republic is a documentary film that spotlights the unprecedented 2013 mayoral election of Jacksonville, TX. In the town’s first three-way mayoral race since 1977, local restauranteur Rob Gowin and young political upstart William Igbokwe decided they were both going to challenge the 73-year-old incumbent Kenneth Melvin for the town’s mayoral seat. Through an engaging set of informal interviews, we meet both challengers, affording us the opportunity to judge what each could possibly bring to the mayor’s office if elected. Of the three candidates, Gowin’s story is highlighted most prominently, and why not? The flamboyant owner of Sadler’s restaurant is a natural in front of the camera. Gowin’s lack of political experience winds up being an asset to the film, as his unabashed sincerity and candor during interviews and the official mayoral debate adds a refreshing level of frankness to what normally would be an evening of friendly platitudes. Because Gowin’s platform was built around the beautification of Jacksonville, the documentary explores the deteriorating effects the post-recession downturn has had on the town of just under 15,000 residents. Through an impressively skilled lens, cinematographer Matthew Godwin ably captures the degrading conditions of this beloved town Gowin vows to improve if elected.
Adding to Tomato Republic’s beguilement is a quick history lesson about the area including a joshing examination of the local haunts where town politics are heatedly debated. Reminiscent of the Richard Linklater’s ode to East Texas, Bernie, filmmakers Whitney Graham Carter, and Anthony and Jenna Jackson interview a charming assortment of Jacksonville’s more prominent residents, each with their own diverting anecdotes about the town and the candidates. Amongst this collection of local celebrities emerges the film’s most comical of contributors, local county judge Chris Davis. Davis’ unscripted zingers and self-deprecating humor had the entire theater laughing in amusement.
East Texas is considered one of the most conservative areas of a state known for its conservative viewpoints. With that ideological backdrop, the fact that a gay man and an African-African twenty-something had the determination and belief to run for mayor is an engrossing true story worthy of celebrating, even in 2014. Premiering back in April at the Dallas International Film Festival, Tomato Republic was so popular that a second screening, in a larger theater, was added for those that wanted to see it. A Texas competition entrant, Tomato Republic was awarded a D.I.F.F. Special Jury Prize. Since then, the film has made quite the circuit around the state, showing at various festivals and specialty art houses in Dallas, Austin, and Houston. While this film may never see the light of day outside the state it highlights, Tomato Republic is a charming little slice of Americana worth checking out if you happen to stumble across it in the future.-JL
AmateurCinephile.com 