Nov 22: Planes Trains and Automobiles

"A man must struggle to travel home for Thanksgiving, with an obnoxious slob of a shower ring salesman his only companion."

Directed by: John Hughes, Rated: R, 93 minutes

When you think of Thanksgiving and movies, one film comes to mind- Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The John Hughes classic of 1987 has become a staple for the holiday and continues to be one of the only films worthwhile come Turkey Day. The two reasons behinds its success are Steve Martin and John Candy, two legends of comedy that are indeed, national treasures. It's a film for the ages and is as quotable as it is memorable.

Believe it or not, these are actual statues of the two legends and remain in that exact spot to this date. 

Neal Page is a marketing man who lives in Chicago and works in New York. He's wound up tight, picky with food and living accommodations  and travels first class. When his flight home is grounded in Wichita because of snow, Neal must find an alternative way to get home in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately for him, Neal continues to run into the obnoxious, chatty Cathy, Del Griffith (John Candy). Reluctantly, Neal agrees to ride along with Del (he promises to get him home in time) and the two's adventure across country turns into something much more problematic than you'd expect. From broken down trains, to sing-along-buses, and riding in the back of a milk truck, Neal and Del suffer through it all...together. Getting home proves damn near impossible for Neal and as much as he'd like to drop the "dead weight" and find his own way home, he somehow manages to fall right back into the lap of Del.

Or find himself the little spoon to Del's bigger, gravy-filled ladle.

Steve Martin and John Candy have flawless chemistry and manage to make you laugh, uncomfortable, and even cry. Both men have things about them you don't like right away, but as their layers are pulled back time and again, you learn to sympathize for them. Neal learns to relax and that everything isn't as simple as going from point A to point B and Del realizes that maybe not everyone wants to hear his stories and that he needs to cut back a bit on the obnoxious habits he has. While neither men have their lives changed, they do learn a lot about themselves and each other along the way. Lucky for us, it's a hilarious ride(s) around the country and each ridiculous situation is topped by the next. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a film that focuses on both physical and verbal comedy and its blend proves to be something timeless. It's smart and original, and it's been parodied and referenced countless times in its 25 year history. 

Even ripped off with the God-awful, piece of shit Due Date. 

If you haven't seen Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, shame on you. It's the perfect example of two legendary talents coming together under the direction of a master in John Hughes. Hughes' script is genius and organic, and while some of the situations Neal and Del find themselves in may be a bit over-the-top, it never feels forced. Neal is destined to orbit around Del and their constant eclipses give the film a boost of energy and humor. At its heart it's a story about two completely different men trying to work together to achieve a common goal, even if they're pulling away at each other to the extreme. Their entire adventure is a joy to watch and I would highly recommend the film. It's a movie that's pulled right out of the 80s, with a synthesized bass-y soundtrack, easy public transportation, and an overall laid back aesthetic that still manages to feel relevant today and continues to do so.

The Good:

seeing a story play out that's unexpected, relatable, and oh, so hilarious

The Better:

Steve Martin and John Candy... enough said

The Best:

comedy at its best, from those who do it best- simple and effective

Overall: 9.2/10

Discussion Question:

Do you have any funny stories to share about any unconventional travelling or rather obnoxious co-travelers?

Trailer:

Oct 30: A Perfect Getaway

"Two pairs of lovers on a Hawaiian vacation discover that psychopaths are stalking and murdering tourists on the islands."

Directed by: David Twohy, Rated: R, 98 minutes

A Perfect Getaway is a severely underrated thriller. It's a perfect example of how far a great cast and great directing can take a decent script and that the most throw-away ideas can still be suspenseful and entertaining. It's also worth mentioning that even when a movie is sub-par, setting it in a tropical location at least makes the film look nice, and A Perfect Getaway really focuses on the natural elements and actually makes the scenery a part of the story, as opposed to just its backdrop. However, the movie still does suffer at the hands of predictability and the few twists can be seen coming from miles away.

And for the ladies, there's plenty of pre-Thor-but-still-muscular-Thor... if that's what you're into

Newlyweds Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Mila Jovovich) are madly in love. For their honeymoon, they head to Hawaii, hoping to take in the romantic sceneary and get away from their rather boring lives. Far from adventurous, Cliff proves to be the "nerd in the wild" and tries his hardest to keep up with his wife. Then the two run into Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez), two outdoor daredevils that would put Bear Grylls to shame. Also, enter Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton), two free-loving hippies that meet up with the group in the middle of the jungle. It's a rather unusual happenstance that these three different groups run into each other out in the middle of nowhere and it only makes matters worse that a duo of psychopaths are said to be island hopping themselves, murdering people left and right. The main conflict of the story is each couple questioning the other, wondering who is good and who is bad and if any or all of them are in danger.

As they all stare in the right corner, we're left wondering who/what/where is the killer!

A Perfect Getaway is a little tricky to explain without giving much away or at least hinting at the end result. I can't say that the plot is much more involved than the above paragraph but that matters little when you have such a great cast having fun with it all. Each couple feels like a genuinely reel couple you may know in real life or would run into on a vacation and the chemistry between the cast is just as real. It's surprising that such a scrawny, nerdy looking guy like Zahn could be believable as the counterpart to the gorgeous Jovovich, but it really works. Of course, Timothy Olyphant steals every single scene he is in commands the screen with his ridiculously charismatic presence. He has several scenes where it's just him telling a story (that may or may not be the truth) and these monologues prove to be one of the more memorable parts of the film. A Perfect Getaway is a another perfect example of that man's talent and is proof that he deserves to be one of the top leading men in Hollywood. 

Put The Phant in everything!

Along with the acting, director Twohy manages to capture the beauty and the danger of the tropic and the color he pulls out of the locations give A Perfect Getaway a heightened sense of energy. Even if you can predict the twist early on, the entire product is beautiful to look at and really lets you focus on the scenery. As most movies of this kind are more of a reason to get beautiful people to beautiful places to have fun on "vacation" and just filming the flick to make some money, A Perfect Getaway at least tries to be something more, and for that I highly recommend it. It's worth watching for the acting alone and it's great to see so many underrated and underused actors come together for a good looking flick.

The Good:

a great cast that saves the film from decency 

The Bad:

a very, very predictable story that you see coming well beforehand

The Ugly:

realizing that Olyphant and Zahn may never be the household names they deserve to be

7.1/10

Discussion Question:

What actor do you feel deserves more attention than he/she is receiving?

Trailer:

Oct 21: The Prestige

"The rivalry between two magicians is exacerbated when one of them performs the ultimate illusion."

Directed by: Christopher Nolan, Rated: PG-13, 130 minutes

There have been very few movies about magic that have seen the light of day. Sure, the Harry Potter movies have to deal with witchcraft and wizardry but very few films deal with real magicians  using sleight-of-hand and illusions to wow their audiences. With The Prestige, not only do we see the inner-workings of two stage magicians but we see the lengths these two men will go to discover the other's tricks while maintaining their own secrecy. It's a terrific look at an obsession that really ruins two men and turns the story of magic into something much more relatable than a rabbit coming out of a hat. 

Who wants to watch THIS for two hours?

Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are two magicians working together under Milton (Ricky Jay). As time goes on, each man is given a chance to show off his own ability and the two begin developing their own shows. After a magic trick of Milton's goes terribly wrong (at the possible fault of Borden), the two split course and go in different directions, Borden finding his own place on stage and Angier, haunted by the tragedy, vowing to ruin Borden, who has apparently come up with the world's greatest trick. Angier requests the help of Cutter (Michael Caine) to discover the secret behind Borden's "Transporting Man" illusion, a trick that appears to involve some sort of teleportation. As Angier becomes more obsessed with discovering the secrets, he goes to great lengths to replicate the trick, using a double and then eventually a machine created by Nikola Tesla (David Bowie). Layer upon layer is slowly peeled away and we, as the audience, are torn between the two men, never knowing which side to truly embrace. 

Seriously, why isn't David Bowie in everything!?

The Prestige is a masterful look at the lengths obsession can lead and the tolls it takes on the personal lives of these two men. At first, Angier is thought to be the hero but as his fall into this obsession grows deeper, he becomes lost in the mess. Borden is a man who just wants to have a family but a part of him pulls him away, forcing him to sacrifice many aspects of his life in order to maintain the illusion he's been running for years. It's quite tragic and as you see him give up more, you begin to understand and support what he does. A large part of how this teeter-tottering of heroes is attributed to the incredible performances given by both Jackman and Bale. Bale, comfortable with director Christopher Nolan, is at his best, expressing both arrogance (at first) and eventually, pathos, as more is revealed. His character's progression is amazing to watch and by the film's end, you're almost completely on his side. Jackman is in perhaps his finest role and he shows us that he's more than a beefcake laced with Adamantium. He's a hero we all can cheer for, given the circumstances, and seeing his fall from grace is that much harder to watch. Both men continually go at each other on stage and off, and the literal war that develops between them pulls you back forth. Neither man outshines or out-acts the other and this really plays into the actual story. 

Batman vs. Wolverine proves to be incredibly interesting. 

The Prestige is a dark and pretty depressing little movie. The characters feel genuinely real and very human and the situations they're put into receive reactions I feel most people would share in themselves. Obsession wraps itself around these individuals and the lengths they go to uncover and hide secrets is entertaining to watch, but also heartbreaking. One man is desperate to unveil a secret while the other is desperate enough to keep one hidden. It's a genius little cat and mouse game that turns into a violent duel and many casualties are caught up in between the mess. At the film's conclusion, there is no obvious "winner" as both men have deteriorate plenty and have sacrificed a lot already. The Prestige is not all about the magic as much as it is about the mentalities and personalities of these two men and questions how far is too far when trying to one-up the other. It's a terrific film that solidifies itself towards the top of Christopher Nolan's filmography. I would highly recommend it. 

The Good:

the countless "illusions" that leave you guessing, even when you have a rough idea of where everything MAY be heading

The Better:

as sad as it is, seeing the lengths two men will go to be the best does prove entertaining in the mystery 

The Best:

incredible acting by not only its two leads, but by the many recognizable supporting actors

9.0/10

Trailer:

Jan 30: The Perfect Host

"A criminal on the run cons his way into the wrong dinner party where the host is anything but ordinary."

   The Perfect Host is what you would get if you combine American Psycho, Beetle Juice, and Frasier. It's an interesting film that has a lot going for it; but, in the end, it is just a little too weird for its own good. David Hyde Pierce is brilliant, as always. He plays Warwick, an unsuspecting man who lets a criminal into his home whom he believes to be a friend of one of his acquaintances. His mannerisms, from the changes in his voice to the way he walks, are devilishly amusing. The film, however, turns in a completely different direction and it is because of this fact that The Perfect Host is really too hard to review without giving a lot away. 

Hint: He is not a sled nor Luke's father. 

   The best part of The Perfect Host is the acting. Both of the main roles, Pierce as the Host and Clayne Crawford as the criminal, are excellent. The film is pretty much just the two of them and the dialogue between the two is sharp, smart, and unexpected. The two are completely different characters and it's in their contrast that the film succeeds. The script is hilarious, disturbing, and very clever and the way it all unfolds is curiously entertaining. 

One hell of a dinner party

    One complaint I have of The Perfect Host is that the pacing, at times, was uneven and a handful of scenes feel out of place or just too weird compared to the rest of the film. There also seems to be multiple endings and the film teases you with each one. You think it's over, then a new scene begins and it grows a little tiresome. The "gimmick" of the film, if that is how I'd explain it, is interesting, but that does become slightly annoying as the film progresses. Overall, the film is entertaining in its own way, and I would recommend it. 

Sight: As the film grows darker in tone, the camera picks up on that and becomes grittier and edgier. 

Sound: The film's score is composed of mostly songs played on the radio and also features a rather odd dancer number. 

Skill: David Hyde Pierce is phenomenal, and the character of Warwick seems completely made for him. 

Script: The script is smart and original, but at many times, too bizarre. 

Overall: 6.8/10

Best Quote:

Warwick: "You can't kill me, I'm having a dinner party."