Selma - Movie Review

Selma PG-13 128 mins B+
A different side of MLK

Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Giovanni Ribisi, Andrew Young, Lorraine Toussaint, Wendell Pierce, Tessa Thompson, Alessandro Nivola, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Martin Sheen, Oprah Winfrey and Common

I wasn't looking forward to watching this film. These black historical dramas tend to get me all tied up in knots. 12 Years a Slave was good, but I don't need to see it again. Selma was better than I expected. The performances are solid, the film is timely, and the political aspect between MLK and President Johnson is highly intriguing.

It was not the best film of 2014, but deserved to be in the conversation.

Single, Carefree, Mellow - Book Review

Published February 2015

Single, Carefree, Mellow: Stories - Katherine Heiny A
The Happiest Unhappy

I listened to the audio version of Katherine Heiny's short story collection, Single, Carefree, Mellow. As soon as I finished I immediately went to the bookstore and bought the hardcover. These stories are whip-smart and scandalous. The characters are intoxicating. Heiny's introspection, wry humor and infinite sadness made this a thought-provoking and titillating read.

For more on Katherine Heiny check out the article below by Alexandra Alter via the The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/02/books/katherine-heinys-road-to-single-carefree-mellow.html?_r=0

The Feast of Love - Book Review

Published April 2000

The Feast of Love - Charles Baxter B
All You Can Eat

Charles Baxter's third novel, The Feast of Love, begins and ends with twenty year-old Chloe. She wasn't my favorite character, (that distinction is a tie between Bradley and Diana) but it's not until Chloe appears that things get good. The beginning of the novel feels a little trite with the whole insomnia driven moonlit walk blah, blah, blah... But, when the story finally started to pull me in (somewhere around chapter five) it was hard to not to be completely engrossed in Baxter's world of longing, heartbreak and passion.

The Feast of Love is told through a series of interwoven vignettes and alternating perspectives. The cast of characters include; Bradley, the nice guy looking for love. Kathryn, Bradley's first wife who leaves him for another woman. Diana, Bradley's second wife and the type of woman nice guys inevitably fall for. David, Diana's married lover. Chloe and her boyfriend Oscar. And finally, Harry and Esther, an older couple (Bradley's neighbor) who didn't interest me much.

Baxter really gets love and disappointment right. He made me long for a time when love was a feast of possibilities and passions. He also reminded me how unoriginal loneliness can be. Other than a few moments when it seemed like the novel was trying too hard to be philosophical and an ending that lasted a few pages too long, The Feast of Love is quite appetizing.

(Film Adaptation) Feast of Love Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUSMZIgvARM

The Theory of Everything - Movie Review

The Theory of Everything PG-13 123 mins B-
An okay biopic, Redmayne shines

Starring Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, David Thewlis

There's no doubt that Stephen and Jane Hawking are extraordinary people who dealt with extraordinary circumstances after Stephen was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, i.e. Lou Gehrig's disease in 1963. But, The Theory of Everything is just a mediocre biopic with above average acting. Directed by James Marsh (Oscar winner for Man on Wire) and based on Jane Hawking’s 2007 memoir, Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen, the overall tone of the film felt too cordial. It focused more on Jane's beautiful struggle rather than Stephen's beautiful mind (maybe that was by design?). With so many dynamic biopics out there; Walk the Line, Ray, Capote, Milk, American Splendor, The Aviator, Frost/Nixon, Malcolm X, etc... The Theory of Everything doesn't bring anything new to the table. I didn't walk out of the theatre wanting to know more. It's simply a nice film with nice performances, and for many moviegoers that'll be enough to make it worth the price of admission.

Still Alice - Movie Review

Still Alice PG-13 101 mins B
Losing it

Starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish, Stephen Kunken

Still Alice is a film based on Lisa Genova's best-selling debut novel of the same name. On the surface, this quiet little film about a brilliant woman battling early onset Alzheimer’s has all the makings of a sappy tearjerker. I cried, but overall Still Alice avoids the overly sentimental clichés of the genre. Ironically, the directing and co-writing team of Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland are very familiar with the disease; the two are married and Glatzer has ALS. The humanistic connection the film makes with its audience and Julianne Moore's Oscar-worthy performance makes Still Alice still worth seeing.

All Fall Down - Book Review

All Fall Down - Jennifer Weiner D+
Motherhood Interrupted

Published June 2014

Of the five Jennifer Weiner books I've read, All Fall Down has the most ambition and unfortunately is the most disappointing. I've never been the target audience for Weiner's novels, but I usually find something in her stories that speaks to me. In All Fall Down Allison Weiss is feeling the weight of the world- her marriage is flailing, her kid is annoying, her father has Alzheimer's, and the general stresses of being a middle-aged working mother and wife are piling up. She develops a dependency for prescription pain pills (initially prescribed for a legitimate back injury). The pills, and lots of them, become the only thing that alleviates her physical and mental pain. The pills get her through the hectic days and helps her cope (or not cope) with a deteriorating home life.

In real world, scenarios like these happen all the time... I get it. But here it feels like our protagonist spends the majority of the book whining that she doesn't have a problem. I understand her behavior was that of an addict in denial; yet, I still didn't care. Allison isn't an unlikeable character, but she's not particularly interesting or original. All Fall Down feels like a Lifetime Movie waiting to happen (not that there's anything wrong with that).

For more on All For Down, check out this video courtesy of HLN via youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzjjgOrNFlk

The Year That Changed Everything (Book Review)

My Salinger Year - Joanna Rakoff B

Published June 2014

Truth be told, I didn't really know what My Salinger Year was about prior to  purchasing it. I loved the title,  liked the cover and noticed it was getting good reviews. I thought (or maybe hoped) it was about a tortured writer living a Salinger-like year in seclusion- reading, writing and maybe even shacking up with a young lover. After the first few pages I wasn't sure if I was feelin' it. I liked Rakoff right away, but I was afraid her story was going to be pedestrian and predictable- she gets a job at "The Agency," gets discovered, and meets J.D. Salinger from whom she would learn some big life/writing lesson. However, Rakoff's story proved to be more vital and more heartfelt than I first thought. My Salinger Year is quietly charming and poignant. It is a memoir about life, about books and how each influences the other. It is a slow burn with a lasting effect.

Want to know more? Check out this youtube video about My Salinger Year courtesy of Knopf Doubleday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOprjlRCZB4   

Whiplash - Movie Review

Whiplash (R) 107 mins A
Getting Greatness Right?

Starring: Miles Teller, J. K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, Max Kasch and Damon Gupton

This film made me want to be great at something... anything. If you don't mind a little cursing, okay a lot of cursing, run don't walk to see this brilliant film directed by Damien Chazelle. Chazelle, who had done nothing I'd ever heard of prior to Whiplash, was apparently inspired by his own miserable band experience during high school. This is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2014.

Foxcatcher - Movie Review (Plus a bonus review of Skeleton Twins)

Foxcatcher (R) 129 mins B-
Dark, Intriguing, and Hard to Swallow

If you don't remember how this true crime story unfolded in the 1980s that's okay. I didn't remember and the ending took me by surprise... Not to mention everything that allegedly led up to the tragic end. You don't have to be a fan of wrestling to enjoy Foxcatcher,, but it might help. As intriguing and well-acted as this film is, it still feels a little slow and a little flat.

Skeleton Twins (R) 93 minutes B+
Life in the Suicide Ranks

Sad sack siblings reunite with liberating results. This is not a comedy, but it's funny mixed with sad mixed with harsh reality. Skeleton Twins is quietly one of the most understated films of the year.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - Movie Review

 

The Grand Budapest Hotel (R) 100 mins B
Enchanted Hotel

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Harvey Keitel, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Murray.

It's interesting that this madcap Wes Anderson film is receiving so much acclaim when Rushmore, The Squid and the Whale (producer) and Moonrise Kingdom were all be better films. That being said, The Grand Budapest Hotel is highly original and entertaining, it's definitely worth seeing.