OPENING THIS WEEK: 9/20/2013

After a lull a few weeks back the schedule is back to being crowded with five new films and an early preview of the Buffalo International Film Festival - screening Company in honor of Buffalo's Curtain Up!

at the Art House

Short Term 12 - The buzz amongst the bloggophere is the SXSW hit Short Term 12 is a powerful winner. A drama centered around a women (Brie Larson), a supervisor at a home for at-risk teens. This looks like another powerful drama about young folks, following the wonderful The Spectacular Now.
screening: Dipson Amherst

Thanks for Sharing - An ensemble comedy directed by Stuart Blumberg (co-writer of The Kids Are All Right) about a group of recovering sex addicts. Staring Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robins, Patrick Fugit and P!nk.
screening: Dipson Eastern Hills

Salinger - Exploring the legend of JD Salinger, filmmaker Shane Salerno aims to demystify literature's most mysterious figure featuing interviews with like A-list celebrities (Phillip Seymore Hoffman, Edward Norton, John Cusack) and modern literary figures (including Tom Wolfe)
screening: Dipson Eastern Hills

at the Multiplex

Prisoners - From Canadian director Denis Villeneuve (whose last film is the breathtaking epic Incendies), Prisioners, has been garnering Oscar buzz out of Toronto. An ensemble drama staring Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano, Melissa Leo, Maria Bello and Paul Dano - I've told although the trailer appears to tell it all, it's just scratching the surface of the 155 minute drama. This will probably be amazing....

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Transit, Regal Hollywood 12, Regal Quaker Crossing, Transit Drive In, Regal Elmwood, AMC Maple Ridge

Battle of the Year 3D - Starring rapper / wife beater Chris Brown - Battle of the Year 3D probably delivers what it promises: great dancing, decent music and likely sequences worth of the 3D upcharge (Dance movies - although rarely good - are perhaps the best in 3D). It will probably deliver exactly what it sets out to...

Screening: Dipson Flix, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Transit, AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Hollywood 12, AMC Maple Ridge

in the Cheap Seats

Monsters University (7/10)

The Heat (4/10)

White House Down (7/10)

The Conjuring (7/10)

The Way Way Back (8/10)

Continuing

Lee Daniel's The Butler (8/10)

Blue Jasmine (8/10)

Elysium (7/10)

Fruitvale Station (7/10)
Instructions Not Included (7/10)

We're The Millers (6/10)

The World's End (7/10)
The Spectacular Now (8/10)
The Family (7/10)
In A World (7/10)
Insidious: Chapter 2 (4/10)

[Review: IN THEATRES] IN A WORLD... (7/10)

Written, directed and staring Lake Bell, the Sundance award winning comedy In A World… is set in the unusual, rarely seen and often exclusively an all-boys club world of trailer voice-overs. When great Don Lafontaine known for the phrase “In a World…” passes (told in a spirited credit montage) the phrase is retired, that is until the resurrection of the phrase in ad copy for a new “quad-illogy” – for a quazi-feminist action film called The Amazon Games.

Making use of (likely) several pals in the alternative comedy world, Lake Bell rounds out the cast with some greats including Demetri Martin, Tig Notaro, Nick Offerman, and Ken Marino. Fred Melamed plays Carol’s (Bell) dad – a rival legend who realizes its time to move on, he’s happy living with a sexy groupie, a year younger than Carl – and starts training Marino’s Gustav.

In A World announces the arrival of Lake Bell as alt comic – she’s quite wonderful here as Carol, a geeky women who at 31 is still in the process of finding herself. Early in act one Carol is asked to leave home… so the groupie can move in – she barely makes end meet as a freelance vocal coach – initially teaching Eva Longoria to take a cockney accent. Carol’s unlikely love interest is Louis – played by Demetri Martin, and they share very funny and very sweet scene.

That’s the tone Bell strikes – In A World... is often hilarious, setting up awkward situations that are both funny and in once instance painful. Carol moves into her sister Dani’s apartment (she’s played by Michaela Watkins). Living with the always snacking Moe (Corddry), Carol evokes sister code – asking her to record and collect the voice of a flirtatious client. Carol ultimately redeems herself and the film has a happy ending even with a few detours.

The competition for the trailer for The Amazon Games comes down to three voice over artists: Carol, Gustav, and Sam – but Bell has so much fun along the way (moments I won’t spoil). In A World succeeds while other alternative comedies (including those co-written by Marino) often haven’t for me. Sometimes comedies just simply work – often when they take themselves seriously. Bell first and foremost does – taking risks. Sure at times it’s a little sitcom like – but that’s exactly what this is – situational comedy. I await what she does next as writer/director – Bell, has made a confident, original film.

Screening: Dipson Amherst

[Review: IN THEATRES] INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 (4/10)

Sometimes a horror movie works, sometimes its laughably bad. James Wan just a few months ago released a very effective horror thriller, The Conjuring (now playing in the cheap seats). Insidious: Chapter 2 bares some similarities – but ultimately is a step backwards (most likely he was under contractual obligation). Wan is a gifted filmmaker; this is not his finest hour. I think the fact The Conjuring was based on the real life story of the Ed and Loarrine Warren made it that much more interesting.

This is not to say Insidious: Chapter 2 couldn’t have been interesting – I think the problem is it lacks those hansom details – its far less ambitious and the characters are far less developed. It’s essentially stuff you’ve seen before – including in Insidious, the 2010 hit that grossed $54 million domestically on a budget of $1.5 million. So now you know why Part II had to be made.

With that said I think part of the problem with Chapter 2 is that we’ve A.- Seen this all before and B.- Really don’t care the way we did in The Conjuring. The Conjuring was effective in its use of atmosphere, essentially the story of two families. Insidious: Chapter 2 is kind of a run of the mill story – things go bump in the night, the dad becomes a demon with too little under the hood. It's like buying a car with seats and steering wheel but not radio. Restrained in its direction, it's just not very fun – mostly because all of the bumps and jumps are expected.

The Lambart family (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) returns to uncover a mystery buried within Mr. Lambart’s childhood. Lin Shayne (whom I know best from There’s Something About Mary) plays a spirit hunter. Okay so that happens, but it’s just not enough. Insidious: Chapter 2 feels cheap, quick, and carelessly made – go see The Conjuring if you haven’t – better you spend $2 on a good movie verses $10 on one that sucks.

Screening: Dispon Flix, Regal Transit, Regal Quaker Crossing, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Hollywood, Transit Drive-In, AMC Maple Ridge

[Review: IN THEATRES] THE FAMILY (7/10)

In sort of a lay-up for THE Robert De Niro, The Family is a fun effective time. Playing a gangster from the notorious Manzoni family, he snitches and is placed in witness protection. His family – including wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer) son Warren (John D’Leo) and daughter Belle (Dianna Agron) cause so much trouble their FBI liaison Robert (Tommy Lee Jones) is forced to move the family every 90-days. 

Exiled to a quite French hamlet (where everyone apparently speaks English quite well) they try to assimilate dealing with the kinds of cultural consequences you might expect. Warren, following in his father’s footsteps takes to running the school – keeping the bullies and business interests in check after getting a brief ass-kicking. Belle has her sights set on a graduate student, hoping to have a very French kind of fling. Funniest and most problematic of all is mom, Maggie – bringing her expectations to this remote (yet beautiful) little village that looks like something out of Epcot’s World Showcase; she just can’t seem to play nice. Early in the film she blows up a supermarket.

DeNiro’s Fred Blake sets about to write his memoirs, a dangerous feat all considered, which leads the story to it’s a hilarious scene when his expertise is called upon. Much of the funny material early on is you can see in the film’s trailer, however the later behavioral based humor really does work. Directed by master filmmaker Luc Besson the story is injected and edited with great style and energy – reaching almost the level of comedy’s best director Edgar Wright. The transitions alone are masterfully planned, executed and often hilarious.

What I enjoyed most of course are the relationships and DeNiro, as I mentioned this is a bit of a lay-up and here he’s having an awful lot of fun as a stereotypical good-fella (keep that in mind, it surfaces later in a wonderful sequence). The Family is essentially a sitcom; while “executive produced” by the great Martin Scorsese it’s certainly not one of his films (even if its as energetic as one). Enjoyable, light and full of character driven comedy, when The Family works, it works beautifully.

Screening: AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Quaker Crossing, Dipson Flix, Regal Transit, Regal Hollywood 12, Transit Drive-In

[Local Trailers] DRY BONES

Fiercely independent local filmmaker Greg Lamberson returns with Dry Bones, selected to screen at the  Pollygrind Underground Film Festival in Vegas and opening in Amherst for a week at The Screening Room on October 18th, his latest horror comedy looks like one of those movies you should just go along with. Staring Michael O'Hear as a grown man who returns to his childhood home after years of being psychologically terrorized by a monster under his bed (Dry Bones, I recon from the trailer). The trailer has plenty of odd, funny looking moments - it looks like its having an awful lot of fun on what I imagine to be a slim budget.

Screening: October 18th-25th at The Screening Room

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OPENING THIS WEEK: 9/13/2013

Indeed it's a happy Friday the 13th with six new movies gracing Buffalo screens including Insidious: Chapter II (because a horror film is a requirement) - it doesn't have quite the same buzz as James Wan's previous feature The Conjuring (which arrives at discount theatres while continuing its first run release at a few screens). On the special screenings side there's much to see - including The Rep - at the Screening Room, about a Toronto reparatory house (if you're recovering from TIFF), Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity at the Buffalo Film Seminars, and Squeaky Wheel's West Side Stories, a series of local documentaries about Buffalo's West Side by youth filmmakers (1:30PM on Sunday at the Burchfield Penny). Also of note - at the art house we have three very different new features - all directed by women - - and One Direction: This is Us allegedly getting a re-release in a "extended fan cut". Oh boy.

Here's what arrives this week:

at the Art House

Austenland - a comedy from the wife of Napoleon Dynamite, Jerusha Hess has Keri Russell as a Jane Austin fan going on a retreat to an Austen-inspired ranch.

Screening: Dipson Eastern Hills

Blackfish - The chilling story of Tilikum, a killer whale that lives up to his name and the aftermath. Intimate and chilling this film has gotten an awful lot of buzz - and protest from Sea World.

Screening: Dipson Eastern Hills

In A World - actress Lake Bell writes, directs and stars as a struggling voice over artist, daughter of the voice over king in this Sundance award winning comedy.

Screening: Dipson Amherst

at the Multiplex

The Family -Bobbie De Niro stars as a Mafia boss forced to uproot his family to France in this action comedy directed by Luc Besson and co-staring Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones. This looks fun.

Screening: Regal Elmwood, Dipson Flix, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Transit Road, AMC Maple Ridge, Regal Hollywood 12, Regal Quaker Crossing, Transit Drive In

Insidious: Chapter 2 - The cast (Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson) is back in this sequel which sees this poor family experiencing even more misfortune, poor folks.

Screening: Dipson Market Arcade, Dipson Flix, Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Regal Hollywood 12, AMC Maple Ridge, Transit Drive In, Regal Quaker Crossing

The Ultimate Life - a faith-based drama staring Lee Meriweather, Peter Fonda and Bill Cobbs about a young man who heads to a mission trip to Haiti after a nasty family lawsuit.

Screening: Regal Transit Center 18

in the Cheap Seats

Red 2 (7/10)

Monsters University (7/10)

The Heat (4/10)

White House Down (7/10)

The Conjuring (7/10)

The Way Way Back (8/10)

Continuing

Lee Daniel's The Butler (8/10)

Blue Jasmine (8/10)

Despicable Me 2 (7/10)

The Conjuring (7/10)

Elysium (7/10)

Fruitvale Station (7/10)
Instructions Not Included (7/10)

The Grandmaster (7/10)

We're The Millers (6/10)

Kick-Ass 2 (4/10)

The Spectacular Now (8/10)
You're Next (7/10)

The World's End (7/10)
The Spectacular Now (8/10)

[Review: IN THEATRES] INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED (7/10)

A charming comedy from Mexico, Instructions Not Included is a fable wrapped in a sitcom with an awful lot of heart (and a little raunchy). This PG-13 rated comedy I think appeals to all – perhaps at times it tries a little too hard but I had a smile on my face the whole time. Staring and directed by Eugenio Derbez, Instructions Not Included is the story of an Acapulco playboy Valentine (Derbez). Conditioned by his father to be brave from a young age, he’s lead the life of a player – bedding beautiful women every night of the week – sometimes two at once. Eventually this life catches up with him, he’s bored and then Julie (Jessica Lindsey) drops off little Maggie, his “daughter”.

It takes a village but Valentine has not time for that – he finds a photograph of Julie taken in LA and sets off to return Maggie to her. When Maggie edges too close to a pool Valentine jumps in to save her, luckily in front of a Hollywood producer, Frank Ryan (Daniel Raymont) and he’s quickly offered a job as a stuntman. Eight years passes and Maggie has grown into an extraordinary bi-lingual young lady, played by Loreto Peralta in a star-making role. A wonderful, tender portrait of this little family, we see the sacrifices Valentine makes for Maggie including jumping from 13 stories to save face (in a messy translation/negotiation situation). Julie ultimately comes back into the picture, now a successful lawyer in New York City, in a domestic partnership with Renee (Alessandra Rosaldo). The film touches upon multiple issues including the US-Mexico border (although this film makes it easier to cross than the US-Canada border - - it speeds past realism) and same sex parents who are accepted even if Julie isn’t from the get go the most likable.

The film progress beyond what you think it is, deeper if not emotionally manipulative like a fable. From the title sequence you know what you are getting. The direction is high energy, employing a lot of tricks I’ve seen used in Bollywood (more than Hollywood) but the film is delightfully upbeat and spirited throughout, given what we know once all the clues come together. Effective and likable, it’s no wonder this movie has been a big box office hit – cracking the top 5 on less than 400 screens, it’s expanded to Regal Elmwood (it was number 3 last weekend). Worth seeking out if you’re in the mood for an entertaining, light sitcom and aren’t afraid of subtitles.

Screening: Regal Elmwood