Mini Reviews

Every year, I try to watch as many film released within that year as possible, so that at the year's end I have as many films as possible for consideration onto my best and worst lists. So, I've been keeping up with films I missed at the theater or that went straight to DVD through Netflix. Here are some mini reviews for those films.

Being Flynn
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby
Plot: A wannabe writer discovers his deadbeat dad is sort of a loser despite the fact that he claims to be the greatest living American writer.
Thoughts: Solid acting from Dano and DeNiro can't save this cheesy, melodramatic, boring mess of a movie.
Grade: C+

Friends With Kids
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolf, Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm, Chris O'Dowd, Ed Burns, Megan Fox
Plot: A woman in her upper 30s and her longtime best friend decide to avoid the pratfalls of their friends who got married and had kids and just stay friends and have a kid.
Thoughts: The first two thirds of this movie are an absolute joy. The cast is fantastic and it's genuinely touching and funny and well-written. However, a cliched third act threatens to ruin everything.
Grade: B-

Hick
Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Blake Lively, Eddie Redmayne, Juliette Lewis, Rory Culkin
Plot: A young girl realizes she's had enough of her hick family and decideds to run away to Vegas where she plans on finding a rich man. She meets some shady people along the way.
Thoughts: A super mess of a movie, although Moretz is great. But even Juliette Lewis (who really isn't in enough movies these days) and Rory Culkin (the best Culkin!) can't save this mess.
Grade: D+

Innkeepers
Starring: Sara Paxton
Plot: On the last weekend run for a Bed and Breakfast, two co-workers decide to investigate the fact that the place may haunted.
Thoughts: A fairly effective, yet predictable, ghost story. The moments of boredom and the overall lameness is nearly saved by a really great ending.
Grade: C+

Lockout
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace
Plot: In the near future, there is a maximum security prison floating in space. The president's daughter (Grace) happens to be there when a riot breaks out. A conman (Pearce) is sent in to save the day.
Thoughts: Super cliched in just about every way, but also not such a bad way to spend a mindless summer night. Pearce is the saving grace as a smart ass anti-hero.
Grade: C-

Project X
Plot: High schoolers throw the most epic party ever.
Thoughts: It wants to be Superbad or The Hangover, but it's not nearly funny enough to be either. It tries its best to be shocking but that's not enough.
Grade: D+

The Woman in Black
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe
Plot: A young man goes to the English countryside to investigate the death of a woman.
Thoughts: Totally boring and cliched up until about the last 5 minutes when it finally got compelling, but too little too late.
Grade: D

Scream 4

I think we all know by now that I am a huge fan of the original Scream trilogy. Scream 4, or Scre4m as the opening titles spell it, is probably the movie I was most looking forward to seeing in the first half of this year. You know, pre Oscar buzz movies, and pre-summer blockbusters, Scream 4 was it for me. I went in to it fully expecting it to be as awesome as the 7th grade version of me would expect. Sure, there was the slight feeling that it might disappoint me but I tried to ignore it. And guess what? Scream 4 lived up to my every expectation! I simply loved it.

Look, I'm not going to sit here and say that Scream 4 is some Oscar worthy, prestigious, amazingly well written and directed, fantastic film. It's none of those things. But if you are a fan of the original trilogy, I honestly can't see how you would be disappointed! It's got everything you've come to expect from a Scream movie: a great opening sequence where big-named stars bite the dust (and, seriously, let me tell you, the opening sequence of Scream 4 was by far my favorite part of the film, so clever, so well done, maybe even the best opening sequence of the franchise), tongue in cheek humor, great death scenes, some trapped in a car while trying to get away from Ghostface, and even the necessary rules for surviving a remake (Rule number one: "Don't fuck with the original."

So, anyway, it's ten years later and heroine extraordinaire Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has returned to her hometown of Woodsboro, California to promote her self help book entitled Out of Darkness. The only other survivors of the trilogy bloodbath, Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Coureteny Cox) are now married and living semi-happily. Dewey is the new chief of police and Gale is trying her hand at writing fiction. But guess what guys? The engine on Sydney's car hasn't even cooled and there are a pair of murders, with two local girls getting stabbed to death. [This all, of course, happens after the AMAZING opening sequence. Not even kidding. That shit is crazy good.] Anyway, while Sydney is at a book reading in town, Dewey receives a phone call that leads him to the trunk of her rental car and a whole bunch of Ghostface memorabilia is there, along with lots of blood. Suddenly, Sydney can't leave town even if she wanted to. She gets to hole up with her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts), who is the brand new fresh-faced ingenue of the film. Soon, Ghostface is targeting Jill and her friends, sassy Kirby (Hayden Panettiere), film nerds Charlie (Rory Culkin) and Robbie (Erik Knudsen), sexy Olivia (Marielle Jaffe) and Jill's jerk ex-boyfriend Trevor (Nico Tortorella). Cat and mouse, whodunit, murdering rampages ensue.

Director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Wiliamson have truly done it again. No matter how indulgent the movie is at times (and it surely knows how clever it is being sometimes), this is still a fun slasher movie. It's undoubtedly the most fun I had at the movies in 2011. Sure, a lot of it is predictable but any horror movie fan will love how well this movie is executed. This isn't some bad sequel or B-movie. This a damn well done horror sequel, something that truly belongs being a part of the great Scream franchise. As I said earlier, the opening sequence is goddamn perfect as far as I'm concerned. It's smart and clever and serves as a great reintroduction to the films. While some of the film lags in the middle, it is completely redeemed by a strong, really great, risky ending (although, I would have enjoyed it a tad bit more had it ended five minutes earlier). The only thing really lacking for me was somethng that I really wanted to happen that didn't. SPOILER ALERT - I so wanted one of the original actors to bite the dust (just not Courteney Cox!), but they all survived to Scream another day.

The acting is pretty great all around. Of course, you would expect nothing less from Scream veterans Campbell, Cox and Arquette. While the first three films belonged totally to Campbell and her fine nuanced and fragile performance as Sydney, Cox sort of steals the show here as the ever-sassy, ever-ruthless Gale Weathers Riley. There are some great newcomers to the franchise as well with particularly strong performances from Roberts, Culken, Panettiere, and Alison Brie, as Sydney's money hungry editor. Also, kudos to Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell for all but stealing the show with their small amount of screentime.

All in all, the movie isn't perfect, and it's definitely not going to win any Oscars anytime soon. However, it's a great reboot, and a perfect next installment, for the franchise of Scream. Here's hoping for more smart, clever, witty, scary Scream movies in the future.

Grade: B

Nine Thoughts About Paper Man

1. Plot: A writer (Jeff Daniels) struggling with writer's block rents a home in Montauk to focus on his latest novel. While his doctor wife (Lisa Kudrow) is in the city during the week, he strikes up a friendship with a local loner (Emma Stone), which helps him to find a way to relate to someone. Oh, he also has an imaginary friend (Ryan Reynolds). Who dresses as a superhero. Named Captain Excellent.

2. I'm particularly jealous as I've always wished I had the monetary means to rent a house or a cabin somewhere isolated just so I could focus on writing the novel I'm struggling with.

3. Post-Pheobe, Lisa Kudrow has really begun carving a niche for herself as a sort of powerful, cold, ice queen who is capable of being both hated and loved at the same time. It's quite impressive.

4. The movie is just quirky enough, but not too quirky: living room furniture outside, a couch made of old books, a novel about a hen.

5. I particuarly enjoy Ryan Reynolds when he does movies like this - indie, low budget, dark comedy. I wish he'd stop trying to be a super hero leading man and realize he's a funny character actor.

6. Kieran Culkin does NOT make enough movies.

7. I hate when you can see a plot twist coming a mile away.

8. Girl crush alert!! Emma Stone is beyond adorable.

9. There were a lot of faults with the movie, but mostly I enjoyed it. I love that with all its quirk and off-beat humor, it was really just about finding a real, true, sincere friend.

Grade: B-

Happy Valentine's Day!