2014 @ The Movies Archives - Nov.

Below is a monthly compilation of my 128 2014 film reviews originally published on Facebook:

November 1 2014 through November 30 2014:

2014 @ the movies take 105 “Before I go to Sleep” The film fails everywhere “Gone Girl” succeeds - David Fincher must have watched it, and said to himself “This is what not to do when adapting a popular mystery novel.” Nicole Kidman (Christine) and Colin Firth (Ben) try their best, but they don’t manage to suspend our disbelief much. The far-fetched premise of a woman having to rebuild her memory every morning, needed to be treated like a Twilight Zone episode, or a kind of dark amnesiac Groundhog Day. There are glimpses of that, but the twist of the 2nd half completely kills the mystery. We cease to participate in Christine’s circular nightmare, we watch the soufflé peter out into a thick melodrama… Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 in theater 8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQdnOYpyBCo

2014 @ the movies take 106 “Nightcrawler” This one will for sure be somewhere at the top of my best of 2014 list. A very dark psychopathic rags to riches story that is fascinatingly dangerous. The number one commodity in LA are narrative images. This film explores their lowest form that the media uses to trigger our most primal fears, so we will keep watching through the commercial break. Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect as a viciously efficient camera-wielding sociopath. As a pendant to the trash footage filmed by the protagonist, the film itself is beautifully shot - LA has rarely looked so striking - a very impressive directorial debut. Dan Gilroy is a veteran script writer, but this is his first time behind the camera. Repeat viewing already scheduled. Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 in theater 3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8kYDQan8bw

2014 @ the movies take 107 “Pride” In the direct lineage of “The Full Monty” or “Kinky Boots”, this film is to be filed under British socially & sexually conscious comedy. As usual, it has a great script, quirky Brit humor, and a perfect cast (of the usual suspects). However, it is also very manipulative - pulling on every string in the book - a tear-joker of sort. Yes, it is a very pleasant time if you along for the ride, but it conveys an image of the Thatcher years that is a bit rosy in the cheeks. It shies away from the violence of the time keeping it regrettably a bit off-frame. Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 1 with Terry Miller Barakat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsFY0wHpR5o

2014 @ the movies take 108 “Interstellar" As he did (less successfully) with “Inception”, Christopher Nolan again walks the tightrope between large-scale blockbuster entertainment and philosophizing art cinema. In a very short scene, Nolan juxtaposes the immensity of deep space with the mundane sound of an earthly thunderstorm. The incongruous collage stems from a small moment between two characters coping with the trauma of space travel. This is the film at its best - questioning our sense of time, place and reality. It, unfortunately, sometimes meanders into scientific explanations as if worried to lose its audience with too many questions. It is still a thought-provoking spectacle worth exploring on a very large screen. Einstein is purported to have said “Gravity is not to be held responsible for people falling in love” - Nolan tells us “Maybe not, hit the books again.” Experienced at Springfield 11 IMAX with Susie Kekec & Kurtis Foster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt2LHkSwdPQ

2014 @ the movies take 109 “Laggies” Yet another decent film shot in mid-air by its trailer. In spite of Kiera Knightley's and Sam Rockwell’s solid performances, the piece doesn’t offer much more than what is shown in the trailer. Ironically, the most interesting part of the story is probably the Knightly/Rockwell interaction which takes us away from the original premise of 20 something lagging in the teenage world. Experienced at Moxie Cinemawith Susie Kekec & Kurtis Foster in theater 1. Not posting the damaging trailer - you are better off without it.

2014 @ the movies take 110 “Nightcrawler” (Second viewing!) The methodical perversion of every success-story movie trope is even more salient with this repeat viewing. Gyllenhaal’s performance is so powerful, it almost overshadows Rene Russo’s and Riz Ahmed’s (Rick) during the first viewing. However, I can see now that they both bring a lot to Gyllenhaal’s performance and make the great irony of the dialogues snap. Still a sure contender for top 10 of 2014. Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 with Susie Kekec & Kurtis Foster in theater 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8kYDQan8bw

2014 @ the movies take 111 “Birdman” Alejandro González Iñárritu is certainly not afraid of exploring alternate forms of story-telling. Most of his previous films (Amores Perros, 21 grams, Babel) are non-linear puzzles with multiple plots and a plethora of locales and atmospheres. With “Birdman” he explores the extreme opposite by almost sticking to the classical unities of live theater: 1 place, 1 action, 1 time. 95% percent of the film is a single extended take inside a Broadway theater - only time gets subtly sped up over 3 or 4 days. Digital cameras make it easier to pull off than when Hitchcock did it in 1948 with “The Rope.” However, the actors must have felt like they were doing a stage play. For a film about a washed-out movie star putting on a play to prove himself he is still an actor, how fitting. Michael Keaton & Ed Norton are spectacular and the film has so many levels of meta-meta-meta that I am still counting them. Repeat viewing is very likely. Did I also mention that the soundtrack is an extended Jazz drum solo by Antonio Sánchez? Experienced at Moxie Cinema with Terry Miller Barakat in theater 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jAfBd3g6bA

2014 @ the movies take 112 “Big Hero Six” On paper, it feels like Pixar magic: high-concept futuristic world, teen dealing with the loss of his older brother through his relationship with a robot, Japanese-American lead character (that’s not common) and tough female heroes. The result often feels like weak straight-to-video Disney… yes, the animation, decors and attention to detail to create a visually coherent hybrid between Tokyo & SanFrancisco is splendid, but the human characters are flat clichés. Asian-Americans & tall girl with glasses are science nerds - how original! Caucasian doofus with bad hair is a comic-book nerd - shocking! Baymax, the healthcare inflatable robot, is the true gem of the film, too bad the plot is so predictable that the story spoils itself in the first 10 minutes. Still check out this early teaser for some fun Baymax moments that, for the most part, did not make the final cut (bad editing?) - also, if you were a boy genius, wouldn’t you think about deflating your puffy robots before fitting it with an armor? Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 in theater 7 with Susie Kekec & Kurtis Fosterhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvgyXKDXdZY

2014 @ the movies take 113 “Rosewater” A great effort for first-time director Jon Stewart. The film portrays the complexity of a country, Iran, that is too often reduced to a fanatic caricature in the western media. While the piece is honestly topical, it also explores the master/slave paradigm and points out the fluidity of power in a smart way: “What kind of massage?” I vividly remember the shock of watching “The Confession” (L’Aveu”) Costa Gavras’ 1970 film about political incarceration during the stalinist purges. “Rosewater" is a proud descendant of this lineage of politically aware movies from the 1970’s. My only gripes is that I would have liked to hear more Farsi - or Iran has the best EFL programs I have ever seen. Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 1 withKurtis Foster & Susie Kekec. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jpAVB1JuMc

2014 @ the movies take 114 “The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay Part. 1” The first film in the series which doesn’t feature an actual "game" feels too much like a transitional chapter to really stand on its own. A bunch of secondary characters are thrown in the mix with minimal motivation: “We need to shoot a propaganda video on location to awaken sleepy Katniss.” However, the director fails to create a compelling scene for Katniss’ return to a scorched district 12 - then her revolutionary drive falls back on dear Peeta - who is still as exciting as a wet mop on a tile floor. On the bittersweet upside, we get a few more minutes of Philip Seymour Hoffman who like every great actor will never die. Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 in auditorium 8 with Terry Miller Barakat, Kurtis Foster & Susie Kekec.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PkkHsuMrho

2014 @ the movies take 115 “Citizen four” When I first saw the trailer for this documentary, I thought it was fiction. I love the way Swnoden’s turns his head to the side as he is saying his name in the trailer. It rings like top-notch method acting. Unfortunately, it is not fiction at all. In other words: PGh0bWw+CiAgPGhlYWQ+CiAgPC9oZWFk%$%43wcPgogIDxib2R5PTeL&gogICAgPHA+VGhpcyPHA+‪#‎THeY‬+VGhpcyBpcyB0aGUg+PgogICAgPHA+‪#‎areLisTenINg‬+VGhpcyCiAgPC9oZWFkP*2R5PgogICAgR5PgogICAg#PHA+VGhpcygPGhlYWQ+CiAgPC9oZWHuGFtyfYt%54TFVY8obYe$wd^tUgHiBYFeNJHIBF^CRS$SXTUHPHA+VGhpcyPHA+
Encrypted at Moxie Cinema in theater One with Susie Six and Kurtis Seven. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiGwAvd5mvM

2014 @ the movies take 116 “Birdman” (Second viewing!) After the frenzy of the first viewing, I was able to appreciate the humor of the film more. The repeat experience doesn’t diminish the sharpness of the script constantly commenting on itself as it is unfolding. Still highly recommended if you like cinema that surprises and shows the art form is still on fertile grounds and doesn’t "smell like balls.” Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 2 with Susie Kekec & Kurtis Foster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJfLoE6hanc

2014 @ the movies take 117 “Toxic Avenger” (1984) My 12 year old self would have loved it! It’s a super-hero movie with naked ladies! As an adult, I can only "Marvel" at the depth of the environmentally conscious message and the devastatingly honest portrait of America during the Reagan era. Lloyd Kaufman & Michael Herz don’t shy away from the socio-economical realities of the time: the capitalistic re-appropriation of the body as commodity, corruption in law enforcement and the ruling class, bullying, obesity, exclusion of the underclass and the physically challenged - their approach is all-encompassing. A must-see at a very late show with burnt popcorn and acidic soda. Experienced at ‪#‎MONDO‬ Moxie Cinema in theater 2 with like-minded film enthusiasts. Thanks Mike Stevens & Friends!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27E4Qfj7iEY

2014 @ the movies take 118 “St. Vincent” In a “bold" move, this film casts Bill Murray as a recluse grumpy old man. Then spends the rest of the feature trying to prove to the viewer, through unlikely twists and turns, that he is just a sweet old timer with a heart of plated gold. To create a semblance of originality, they threw in a dialed-down Melissa McCarthy, a quirky priest and Naomi Watts as a pregnant Russian stripper slash “lady of the night.” Keep in trash for 30 minutes and progressively soak in sap for the last hour (keep stirring until completely dissolved). The only redeeming aspect of the piece is Melissa McCarthy in a pretty convincing low-key role. If only it were not in this faux-edgy fare. Experienced at Regal College Station Stadium 14 in auditorium 4 in a solitary manner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dP5lJnJHXg

2014 @ the movies take 119 “The Theory of Everything” On paper it looks like an Oscar-bait biopic. However, the film doesn’t dissolve into a sterile acting stunt. It is redeemed by the honest portrayal of an extraordinary couple going through ordinary ebbs and flows. Many biopics often lose sight of the human element in the great lives they romanticized. This one doesn’t and may or may not feature the big-screen debut of Shelley. Experienced at Moxie Cinema in theater 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-v1_OttK4A