There are many movies out there that contain lines of dialogue that are not only memorable but are ingrained in the collective conscious of civilization. Cult films in particular warrant constant recitation of lines and scene reenactment. The 1998 off-beat comedy classic The Big Lebowski is one such film and fans of the Coen Bros. gem flock every year to pay tribute at Lebowski Fest, a traveling event which celebrates the film. This weekend, the festivities took place in Manhattan and the Big Apple was treated to two days of fun, dress up, trivia, and bowling.
All posts by Unger the Radar
Are You Here
In recent years, the comedic entity known as the Frat Pack has suffered something of a decline. Will Ferrell and his band of misfits enjoyed a good decade or so of sophomoric antics and juvenile adventures. Things for this group of clowns basically came to a halt when the hugely successful The Hangover started cloning itself with its sequels. With those films, the world was exposed to a new member of the pack, Mr. Zack Galifianakis, a hairy hobbit-like gentleman with a unique and highly unpredictable brand of humor. His latest comedy Are You Here pairs him up with veteran Frat Packer Owen Wilson. Throw in an awkward performance from funny girl Amy Poehler and you’d think you’d have all the ingredients necessary for a winning chuckle-fest. Sadly, the results here are lackluster at best.
May in the Summer
Movies that deal with dysfunctional families are often the basis of goofy romps punctuated by the frequent belly laugh. We all have relatives who drive us up the wall and provide for ridiculous yet grounded situations. While many family comedies go this route on screen, May in the Summer goes a different route, that of realism, grit, and honesty. It is an indie dramedy that reflects many of our base feelings when it comes to our loved ones. It isn’t loud, flashy, or insane. It is simple, genuine, and a mirror of how families actually operate.
The Giver
Usually when a popular and critically-acclaimed book is adapted for the silver screen, the transfer isn’t very strong. Books are typically better on paper rather than celluloid. That can be said about a great many book-to-film conversions and the same can certainly be said about Lois Lowry’s 1993 The Giver, a very popular children’s sci-fi drama which was currently brought to movie audiences too lazy to read the book in the first place. It stars Academy Award-winning actors Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep but they are terribly underused and when they do appear on screen, their performances are lackluster at best.
The Maid’s Room
Viewing a psychological thriller is an excellent way to get sucked into a world full of dark, shady, and morally-questionable characters. The way people think and behave is at the forefront of many thrillers and the situations the characters get into provides for highly entertaining examples of cinema. The simple and independent The Maid’s Room is a perfect example of a movie in which the characters dig themselves deeper and deeper and pull the audience in, asking “What is wrong with these people?”
The Hundred-Foot Journey
Food porn is a popular form of entertainment in the ever expanding reality entertainment market. The fascination of seeing different culinary styles and combinations on screen has been quite the phenomenon with viewers for some strange reason. Television may be the more popular medium when it comes to food porn but motion pictures also tend to dabble in this mysterious form of visual delight. The latest dramedy The Hundred-Foot Journey is a big budget silly, sometimes sincere stew full of strong performances, formulaic plot devices, and the occasional humorous moment. It is a cutesy, straightforward film rated PG, so it is easy to digest for much of the family in search of some tasty cinema.
What If
In the wake of his decade playing Harry Potter, young, talented actor Daniel Radcliffe has certainly blossomed and matured in his entertainment career. He has taken unconventional film roles and has earned much praise with his stints on Broadway. At the tender age of 24, Mr. Radcliffe continually brings joy to the world and manages to captivate his audiences. His latest film What If (aka The F Word) is a charming romantic dramedy in which he and fellow youngin Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks, Revolutionary Road) play an intriguing game of emotional ping pong. The film is quirky, raw, and downright fun.
Louder Than Words
The family drama is a tricky genre to tackle on film. While most family units struggle to find equilibrium, emotions run high and drama runs rampant. Parents and children often find compromise difficult, creating awkward tension and resentment. Nothing puts a damper on family harmony other than death and when that death concerns one of the younger children, sadness and remorse cover the entire household like a dark cloud no one can escape. Louder Than Words is a prime example of a family trying to cope and accept the fact that one of their young members has died. It is a solid family drama detailing an extremely serious subject filled with utterly honest performances.
Behaving Badly
Bad movies are a dime a dozen these days. Studios tend to churn out absolute garbage in the hopes of appeasing wide audiences. Unfortunately, these absentminded studio executives take tired and recycled plots, repackage them, hire poor excuses for writers, and spotlight some attractive, young actors. Throw in some well-known performers to add a touch of “class” to the production and off they go. Behaving Badly is one such example and it is a movie so bad, that it is an insult to the good name of filmmaking.
Guardians of the Galaxy
With superhero movies being the annual norm come summertime, many audiences salivate at the very thought of seeing their favorite comic book characters portrayed on screen. The entertainment juggernaut that is Marvel has been riding this wave for over a decade and the results just keep getting better and better. Guardians of the Galaxy continues this popular trend and it is a sci-fi-action film that is as exciting as it is funny. Few films manage to capture that magical spirit but Guardians pulls it off in more ways than one.
Unger the Radar 