Human beings express a wide range of emotions and exhibit many different types of behavior. Boredom is one such feeling and the subject of one of the year’s most illuminating documentaries. The film, aptly titled Boredom, explores what causes this common feeling and how it can not only be bad for your mental health but bad for your physical health as well. People often overlook the issue of boredom and attribute it to a great many things but they don’t really dig deep to unearth the reasons behind it. Boredom does just that and if you are curious about the subject, then this documentary is definitely for you.
Category Archives: Review
Starred Up
Prison sucks. There’s no disputing that. Being behind bars is probably hell on Earth for many people who’ve been caught breaking the law. Being caged like an animal can be truly taxing on one’s psyche and whoever does the crime must certainly do the time. The latest British prison drama Starred Up is the perfect representation of what’s it like to be in the clink and the results are gritty, brutal, and absolutely sensational.
The Congress
What happens when youth and beauty start to fade? Well, in Hollywood, when that happens, the once beautiful actress and symbol of all things young and sexy is put out to pasture. The sad truth is that once an actress is past her prime, she is no longer in demand. Everything she worked for and went through will be nothing more than a memory, a piece of history. The Congress is a bleak, honest, and entertaining sci-fi drama which addresses the issue of age and celebrity, a very important part of the entertainment business. This film explores said issue in a way that is unique, scathing, and at times, kind of fun.
Lebowski Fest New York 2014
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.
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.
Unger the Radar 