R | 2h 9min | Drama
Review - Matt Mungle
**In select theaters including Magnolia in Dallas and the Plano Angelika April 1st 2016**
French with English Subtitles
Synopsis: Paris, 1920s. Marguerite Dumont is a wealthy woman, lover of the music and the opera. She loves to sing for her friends, although she's not a good singer. Both her friends and her husband have kept her fantasy. The problem begins when she decides to perform in front of a real audience.
Review: MARGUERITE is such a fanciful and whimsical tale full of superb, quirky characters that are delightfully engaging. The script is dramatic but with such light banter and free spirited movement that it never feels heavy or tense. Fans of foreign flicks will eat this up with pleasure.
Marguerite Dumont (Catherine Frot) lives in a castle and frequently throws benefit gatherings for her music loving friends. The highlight of the event is always a song performed by Dumont. The issue? She can't sing at all. It is really bad. But no one ever says anything. In fact most, especially her loyal Butler (Denis Mpunga), continue to try and encourage her. When a self motivated journalist pens a few kind words she really begins to think she is ready to hit the big leagues. Much to the chagrin of her caring husband (Andre Marcon).
Frot is superb as the Nora Desmond type character. I am not sure the skill needed to sing off key perfectly but she nails it. You sort of feel sad for her but never do you pity her. She isn't the butt of any jokes but rather a well liked lady those around her are trying to protect from the truth.
The supporting cast is amazing and every part of this film fires on all cylinders. It is a must see for those drawn to period pieces (set in 1920's Paris) and those who desire rich well thought out characters and plot lines. It is rated R for brief graphic nudity and sexual content, and a scene of drug use. Totally an adult film with a French flair. Nothing is flagrant or crude. But there are a few moments that may catch English audiences off guard. But they are fast and non intrusive. I give it 4 out of 5 A flats. Such a refreshing film.
R | 2h 3min | Biography, Drama, Music
Review - Matt Mungle
**In theaters March 25th 2016**
Synopsis: The story of the country-western singer Hank Williams, who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his rise to fame and its tragic effect on his health and personal life.
Review: Since the first image of Tom Hiddleston as the legendary country singer Hank Williams emerged on the web fans have been anxiously awaiting the release of I SAW THE LIGHT. But the anticipation of seeing the onscreen transformation clouded the fact that this movie has been made time and time again. It needed something drastic to set it apart from the Ray's and Johnny's of the cinematic world.
The story picks up about the time that Hank (Tom Hiddleston) and his new bride Audrey (Elizabeth Olsen) are trying to break in to the country and western music scene. We then follow him through the harsh reality of life on the road, women and whiskey, and the toils of staying on top. It is a tragic, though not uncommon, tale.
Most are more familiar with the music and less with the man. We know him more than anything as Hank Jr.'s dad. So the narrative is intriguing until you notice that the story holds nothing new. We get random snapshots of his life and career but without any sort of continuity or synergy to move us from one image to another. It ends up a disjointed mess.
Hiddleston is as amazing as we anticipated. He completely embodies Williams from the subtle body moves to the voice inflection, and slim cowboy gate. He delivers the first award worthy performance by a male this year. Olsen too is very solid and demanding of our attention. Even if you despise her character you can't help but applaud the performance. Neither of these two are to blame for the downfall of the flick. That is completely the fault of director/writer Marc Abraham and his team of editors.
The main problem is the lack of development between each act. As mentioned we see these events that molded his career but never are we allowed to become emotionally involved. Therefore the drama loses all of its momentum and power. Without that force the audience quickly disengages. Once that happens there isn't a performance in the world that can draw them back.
Secondarily is the conflict of writing. The film goes to great lengths to endear us to ol' Hank. The audience gets the smile, the wink, and the humble demeanor. But everyone around him speaks with venomous accusations. Audrey has the most forked tongue. If we believe her then the rest of what we see is a lie. So now we add confusion the list of issues.
The life of Hank Williams was tragic and his life was cut way short. It is a shame that the movie did not pay deserved tribute. I SAW THE LIGHT is rated R for some language and brief sexuality/nudity. Hopefully fans of the legend will still give it a shot. Hiddleston's performance needs to be seen but it is hard to recommend it here. I give it 2.75 out of 5 fender amps. Certainly not the feedback we wanted.
R | 1h 23min | ComedyReview - Matt Mungle**In theaters March 25th 2016**Synopsis: Life after college graduation is not exactly going as planned for Will and Jillian who find themselves lost in a sea of increasingly strange jobs. But with help from their family, friends and coworkers they soon discover that the most important (and hilarious) adventures are the ones that we don't see coming.
Review: GET A JOB may have a relevant message for the working class but it takes the wrong career path in getting it out. In a film about the need to grow up and make adult decisions this movie is plagued with sophomoric, regurgitated humor. Both of the films lead actors are better than this but manage to convincingly deliver.
Will (Miles Teller) and his frat house buddies are in for a rude awakening as they join the post grad work force. They are the generation that has been handed participation trophies and nurtured to feel as if they are owed something. The reality that not everything is handed to you on a welcome mat is a hard pill to swallow. On the other end of the generation spectrum Will's father (Brian Cranston) is facing the world of downsizing and enters the job market as an aged cast away. The film shows both of these stories in a witty and solid written fashion. But it doesn't leave well enough alone and thinks that the only way to make it entertaining to the younger viewers is to load it with crude and drug induced humor. The screenplay takes the easy route instead of attempting anything unique or groundbreaking.
Teller and Anna Kendrick (who plays his girlfriend Jillian) are both more than capable of knock out drama and side splitting comedy. They deserved a much better script. To give them this mediocre mush is almost insulting. But director Dylan Kidd salvages what he can and allows his cast to rise to the top. The workplace and job hunt is shown in a light that pokes fun of many of the stereotypes. This makes it enjoyable to watch and laugh out loud funny. It is just a shame that these moments are interrupted by the unnecessary attempts at shock humor.
Each of the characters grow out of their immaturity and face the world at hand. The redemption meter pegs out pretty well for the most part. The supporting cast of Alison Brie (so hilarious) Marcia Gay Harden, and John C. McGinley add some additional meat to the bone. The only annoying aspect is Christopher Mintz-Plasse. His character is super bad and Plasse is the exact same irritation as every other film he shows up in. Why will no one write him something different to do? So distracting.
GET A JOB is rated R for crude and sexual content, nudity, drug use and language. This is certainly an adult comedy and one that you will not want to watch with mixed company or on a first date. The sexual content and conversations are not at all for the easily offended. I give it 3.5 out of 5 youtube resumes. Fans of Kendrick and Stellar will not be disappointed. Plus the story has a feel good undercurrent to it.
R | 1h 23min | Comedy, Drama
Review - Matt Mungle
**In select theaters March 25th 2016**
Synopsis: Krisha returns for Thanksgiving dinner after ten years away from her family, but past demons threaten to ruin the festivities.
Review: In KRISHA we get a mix of fact and fiction in a story that though intriguing tends to come off a bit common place. Although our families may not have the same type of demons, we all have something going on. So it is easy to look at this and think, "ok, so what, let me tell you my story". But kudos to writer/director Trey Edward Shults on building tension and a sense of awkward unease that crawls across the skin. That isn't always easy to do.
Krisha (Krisha Fairchild) is in many ways mysterious. Not much is known about the who and what of her separation from the family. Fairchild is an actress who makes you believe she isn't performing. The lack of recognition to her and the cast help solidify the voyeuristic elements of the film. In fact many of the supporting actors are actually her real family. This often is not a good idea but with the nature of the story and the commonality it wasn't a bad choice here.
There are a few things though that were bad choices and keep the film from being stand out. The dialogue is at times hard to decipher. I thought maybe the mix was off or it was a sound problem. But after seeing other reviews I realize that is was on purpose. The soundtrack is over bearing and though tension building soon becomes annoying.
As the story plays out we get the sense that our over active imaginations are going to be dissapointed. We aren't going to get the climactic cat in the bag we hoped for. But rather a look into a family that has its problems like everyone else. Some far worse.
KRISHA is rated R for language, substance abuse and some sexual content. It is an adult film that only adults would even want to watch. I give it 2 out of 5 turkey rubs. Far from the "Extraordinary" quote on the poster, unless it is referring to Shults. He may end up being a better director than a writer.
