THE WAY, WAY BACK - Review

The Way, Way Back

Comedy/Drama, 2013
1 hour, 43 minutes
Written and Directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Rated PG-13

Starring
Sam Rockwell
Liam James
Steve Carell
Toni Colette
Allison Janney
AnnaSophia Robb
Maya Rudolph
Jim Rash
Nat Faxon

"Who is this in his awkward glory?"

Written and directed by the Oscar winning team of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (the Dean from Community), The Way, Way Back had some pretty high expectations from me. I set the bar pretty high, and for the most part, I was happy with the results.
The movie is about an awkward teenager who gets dragged along to a summer home belonging to his mother's douchebag boyfriend played by Steve Carell. This kid, Duncan, is awkward as hell and it's actually pretty great. Anyway, he goes to the waterpark one day and meets the park's owner, played by the always fantastic Sam Rockwell. The two become fast friends, and then shit happens.
Although the script is pretty sharp, I was most impressed by the performances. Carell is a major douche. Like, Five-Star General Douche. Fucking hated his guts. That shit took skill. Sam Rockwell is, once again, in top form. I've seen not-so-great movies that star Sam Rockwell, but I've never seen him give a bad performance. He's excellent in everything, and this is no exception. Allison Janney practically steals the show as the bawdy neighbor who'll crack you up. But the real star here is Liam James, the awkward-as-hell 14 year old kid who's stuck in the middle of it all. He absolutely nails it in pretty much every way you can think of.
There isn't a ton that I disliked about the movie. It takes a while to get to the water park and sometimes it feels slow despite being a relatively short movie. Some of the events are predictable, but the ending is quite strong.
Overall, I enjoyed The Way, Way Back. It's funny and lovably awkward, and definitely deserves to be seen.

9.1/10

DESPICABLE ME 2 - Review

Despicable Me 2

Animation, 2013
1 hour, 38 minutes
Written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio
Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Rated PG

Starring
Steve Carell
Kristen Wiig
Benjamin Bratt
Miranda Cosgrove
Russell Brand
Steve Coogan
Ken Jeong



I was never really a big fan of Despicable Me. Surprisingly, a lot of people find this hard to believe. The concept was kind of interesting, but it was too... slap-sticky for my taste. You know, kid stuff. The only non-Pixar CG movie that I like is How to Train Your Dragon. That was original. Different. If you had told me that it was made by Pixar I would've believed you.
But not Despicable Me 2. Yeah, the voice work is fine and the animation is colorful and there was one moment in particular that had me laughing pretty hard. But otherwise, I just didn't care. Kids will definitely get a kick out of it, but there isn't a ton for adults.
And don't get me started on those minions. They're good for marketing, but they actually have an important role in the movie. Which is annoying because for the most part they drive me insane.
But let's be real. It's pretty creative. Some of the stuff they come up with is kinda clever... that being I just didn't like it. I hate when I walk out of a movie and say that I disliked it without having any good reason. It just isn't the kind of movie that I care about, and that's just how it is.

I swear to god I have nothing else to say. Other than good voice acting and solid animation, I just didn't really care for it. Personal preference or whatever.

4/10

The 365 Day Movie Challenge - The Second 100

I'm assuming that the very few of you who read this blog know about my 365 Day Movie Challenge, which needs literally no explanation. So long story short, I just wrapped up watching my 200th movie of the year. After the first 100 milestone, I updated you on the top 5 movies that I watched in those first 100 days. So now that 200 movies have passed, I'm going to update you on the SECOND 100, meaning not the 200 as a whole but going all the way from 101-200. So lets get started with #5.


5. Dead Man 
If you know anything about writer/director Jim Jarmusch, you know he's a weird guy. He's one of the few filmmakers that makes artsy movies that I actually enjoy, mostly because they're very coherent. Dead Man didn't really stun me at first, but once it picked up steam, I fell in love with it. Not to mention, it has one of the most beautiful endings in any movie I've ever seen.

4. Before Midnight
I enjoyed both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, when the relationship between the two characters was at an early stage, but Before Midnight blew them both completely out of the water. In particular, the final scene (which is like 30 minutes or something like that) is so incredibly well written that you'd think that it was all happening in real life right in front of your eyes.

3. Paper Moon
I don't really have a lot to say about Paper Moon. It's funny, heartwarming, and tense. It's well written and well shot. Tatum O'Neal is the youngest person in history to win an Oscar for her supporting role in the film, and shit does she nail it! If you like, well, any kind of movies, I highly recommend it. It's not like there's any single thing that really sold it for me, this movie is just the whole package.

2. Night on Earth
I went into Night On Earth completely blind other than reading the back of the box. It quickly became one of my favorites. Long story short, it's about five different cab rides in five different parts of the world, all taking place on the same night. The film takes the viewer to New York, LA, Helsinki, Rome, and Paris. The screenplay was written in 8 days by Jim Jarmusch, and each scene is incredibly well written. The conversation is spectacular and engaging. Personally, I enjoyed the New York segment the most, starring a very young Giancarlo Esposito (yes, that is Gus from Breaking Bad) and he's fucking fantastic.

1. Mud
The third film by writer/director Jeff Nichols, Mud is easily one of the most incredible coming-of-age stories I've ever witnessed. It probably isn't as insane as the trailer makes it out to be, but that being said, this is a movie that should absolutely not be missed for any reason. Sure, it's a wee bit long, but it plays out like some kind of great American novel. It's currently my #1 movie of 2013. Last time I checked it's playing at the Wilmette Theater. Do yourself a favor and go see it.