Sundance Review: WELCOME TO THE RILEYS

Jake Scott may only have 2 feature full length films to his credit but don’t let that fool you… this guy is a champ. WELCOME TO THE RILEYS will roll into my top ten films of Sundance because of both the strong direction and great performances from this incredible cast.

Doug Riley (James Gandolfini) owns a plumbing supply company that does very well for him and his wife. Every Thursday night he plays cards with his friends and then goes to eat breakfast at a diner. The waitress that serves him is also his mistress whom he has been seeing for the past 4 years.

Louis Riley (Melissa Leo) is a stay at home house wife who does exactly that… stays at home. She doesn’t leave her house, not even to check the mail at the end of the driveway. She knows of the affair but to keep the peace she never brings it up to Doug. Doug is forced to go on a trip to New Orleans for a convention and after a visit to a strip club becomes increasingly interested in one of the young strippers, Mallory (Kristen Stewart).

In this particular strip club, not only are the dances for sale but also the girls. After Mallory offers to have sex with him for money he realizes that this girl needs some major help. It also doesn’t help that this girl looks identical to the daughter they lost a couple of years previously.

Doug decides that in order to help this girl he needs to stay in New Orleans. He makes her a proposition to move in and help take care of her. He drops the bomb to his wife that he wouldn’t be home for a while. This devastates her and she decides that the only way to win him back is to drive to New Orleans and get him.

I don’t want to ruin the rest of the film for you so that’s as far as I will delve into the plot. I will tell you that the three main actors in the film, James Gandolfini, Melissa Leo and Kristen Stewart all turn in amazing performances. It would have been very easy for things to go south in each of the roles but Jake Scott pulled out what could be one of the best performances of Stewart’s career and definitely my favorite of Gandolfini and Leo.

WELCOME TO THE RILEYS is a touching, emotional journey that you aren’t really sure where it will go, but leaves you happy with where it ends. Jake Scott does an amazing job of getting what he wants for each character and makes every scene raw and real. There is a lot of grittiness in the story and it fits in perfectly with the storyline. You shouldn’t be disappointed after this film.

Overall Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5

Sundance Review: LOUIS CK: HILARIOUS

If you haven’t heard of world renowned comedian Louis CK then you must have been living under a rock. This guy is the epitome of a stand up comedian. When I heard that he had a film here at Sundance, I honestly thought it was just going to be a documentary with some of his stand up routines thrown in. What we actually get is a full blown comedy show experience.

The first starts off with him arriving at the club, then going directly to the stage to being his onslaught of racy comedy. There isn’t a whole lot for me to talk about for this review, as its straight forward just a full stand up routine. Nothing new, nothing plot wise… just Louis CK delivering some of the best stand up comedy I have heard in years. There were points in the film that we were in tears during the routine.

Louis C.K. delivers some very vulgar, and somewhat offensive material but he tells it all with a smirk/smile that you cant help but laugh at. It offended a few people in our screening who walked out after a couple of racial jokes.

After seeing this comedy concert film I am dying to see Louis C.K. live so he can offend me, and make me cry in person.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Interview: The Duplass Brothers for CYRUS

I have interviews Mark Duplass about 74 times, but I have never had the pleasure of meeting Jay, his brother and film making other half. Well lucky for me, and you, I got the chance to interview them for their new film CYRUS at Sundance. Below you will hear us talking about indie film making on a big budget, working with Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly, and having to fight back against the evils of the big studio film making style. Ok, maybe not evils, but you know what I mean:

Sundance Review: HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE

At Sundance you will see a few films by first time writers/directors, sometimes they hit and sometimes they miss. With HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE we already knew that Josh Radnor could act, since he is one of my favorite characters on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. I wasn’t sure how he would fare as a writer/director but after the screening I knew that Radnor was the real deal and we would definitely be seeing more of him behind the camera.

HAPPYTHANKYOUMOREPLEASE centers around Sam, a writer who is trying to push his novel to get it published. On his way to a meeting with a publisher he stumbles upon a boy who has been separated from his family. Being a kind hearted guy, he takes the boy, Rasheen, with him with the intention of dropping him off at the police station. One thing leads to another and Rasheen comes with him to his meeting which was a recipe for disaster.

The movie also revolves around Sam falling for a waitress named Mississippi, his best friend Annie who has Alopecia, and his cousin/friend Mary Catherine who is dealing with her boyfriend wanting to up and move to LA. All of Sam’s friends quickly become worried after he takes Rasheen in, especially with all of the NY state laws about foster children.

The character development is deep, and the story lines go just even deeper, so I wont ruin or spoil anything for you here. I will tell you that Radnor took his time with the script. It didn’t feel rushed or over done. Its a very touching story and you honestly feel close to every character in the film.

The entire cast does an amazing job in the film. Everyone plays to their roles perfectly. Kate Mara is not only absolutely stunning as Mississippi, but does a great job acting and singing. I was also really surprised by Tony Hale in the role of Sam #2, who takes a bit of a departure from things we’ve seen him in previously. Michael Algieri who plays Rasheen in the film is a great child actor, cant wait to see what else he will be doing.

After interviewing both Radnor and Malin Akerman (who plays Annie) about the film I realized how much work they put into making Annie as real as possible. The character is based off of one of Randors friend in real life who has Alopecia, and it feels like they did her justice. Malin Akerman even went as far as to shave her eyebrows to avoid the use of makeup. She has never done a role like this and I was blown away by her performance. It was very real, and very touching.

I was blown away at the connection Radnor made me feel with him and Rasheen in the movie, there were scenes that I got a little choked up, which really surprised me.

This is definitely one of my favorite movies of the festival, and Josh Radnor has some great things ahead of him. I really hope this movie gets picked up so everyone has a chance to experience it.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Sundance Review: CYRUS

Jay and Mark Duplass are pretty much what you would consider Sundance royalty. These guys always show out here because they do incredible work and this year is no different. When I heard that Fox Searchlight was backing these guys for a studio flick that they would write and direct starring the likes of Jonah Hill, John C. Reilly, and Marisa Tomei… there is no way this movie wouldn’t be hit.

I missed the premiere screening of the film, but was lucky to snag a seat in the press screening today. I thought with a cast like this we would get your typical comedy that Reilly or Hill wouldn’t typically star in…I was wrong. The Duplass Brothers have sculpted a super awkward, but seriously funny film about life, growing and moving forward.

John (Reilly) is a divorced guy in his late 30’s, early 40’s who is still struggling to get over his ex wife (Catherine Keener) and move on. She convinces him to attend a party with her and her new fiance to help him meet some prospects. He unsuccessfully talks to a couple of women at the party only to be shot down.

Through a series of events he runs into Molly (Tomei) who quickly develops a little crush on him. They flirt it up at the party and eventually hook up. After a couple of dates John realizes that Molly has a son, Cyrus (Hill), that still lives with her. Molly and Cyrus don’t have your typical mother/son relationship which John quickly realizes. Cyrus seems to have some mommy issues and Molly cant seem to let go.

There is a lot more than I can go into about Cyrus, but lets just say that he creates some issues for John and Molly. Wow… I kept that mostly spoiler free.

Jay and Mark Duplass do an amazing job of combining laugh out loud comedy that is infused with some pretty real drama. The really great quality is that they didn’t go for a polished “big studio look” with the way the film was shot. They stuck to their roots and shot it like they have previously done with BAGHEAD and THE PUFFY CHAIR which excited the hell out of me. CYRUS is a big studio film with an indie heart and the two exist to perfection.

Jonah Hill gives a pretty outstanding performance as the title character. He showed quite a bit of range and proves that he can definitely do more than just raunchy comedy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in a full blown drama in the near future. John C. Reilly is also incredible in the movie. He is just as funny as he always is, but he also tosses in some of the straight faced non-comedic elements that we have all come to love from MAGNOLIA and BOOGIE NIGHTS.

Everyone in the film does an incredible job, delivering very convincing performances. The Duplass Brothers definitely know how to pull characters out of actors, and I had no doubt they would do the same with all of the huge names they had attached here. There isn’t much you can say that is negative about the film… its pretty much perfect.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Sundance Review: HESHER

When I saw the stills from HESHER I was under the assumption that this movie would be a very intense drama. What we actually got was a film that cannot be placed into any genre of film and is so politically incorrect it would make Howard Stern blush. Please don’t get me wrong, this movie is fucking fantastic and I cant rave enough about it… a quarter of the way through the film I turned to AJ and told him this would easily be my favorite of the festival, if not the year. With an all star cast of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson and Natalie Portman there is very little that can go wrong.

The movie revolves around T.J. who is dealing with the loss of his mother who died in a car accident. He and his father Paul (Rainn Wilson) are forced to move in with his grandma because the death pretty much sidelines them. After a series of events T.J. comes to know of a metal head squatter known only as Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who forces himself into his life.When I say forces himself, I literally mean he moves in with T.J. at his grandmothers house.

Not only is T.J. having issues with Hesher, but the school bully also has it out for him and after a run in with him, he is saved by a grocery store clerk named Nicole (played by the amazing Natalie Portman), whom he also falls in love with. Without spoiling too much of the film (more than I already have), I will say that the rest of the plot is like a roller coaster ride that you don’t want to get off.

There are so many things in this movie that leave you scratching your head, and that’s part of what makes the movie so amazing. The fact that Hesher essentially moves into T.J.’s house without as much as asking the father or grandmother and is met with little to no resistance from either of them seems so far fetched that it would never happen but it just fits here. Add that in with all of Hesher’s stories that always have some type of deeper meaning despite them being somewhat unrelated.

Joseph Gordon Levitt gives one of the greatest performances of his career, playing Hesher. He is gritty, raw, unforgiving and in your face. He doesn’t care what you think, nor does he worry about any of the consequences to his actions. Gordon Levitt hasn’t played a character like that of Hesher, but damn… you truly understand just what kind of range he has if you didn’t before.

I was also pleasantly pleased with Rainn Wilson as the father Paul. There were several moments that he could have gone the Dwight Schrute route and been a little on the cheesy side but there are no moments in the film where you get that.

HESHER also features some of the best one liners in a film… ever. Here is a quote for you to drool over:

Hesher: Where’s the laundry room?
T.J.: You cant be in here.
Hesher: Have you ever been skull fucked?
Hesher: You want to?

I walked out of the screening smiling ear to ear with the knowledge that we just had our minds blown by director Spencer Susser. Susser had previously done a short called I LOVE SARAH JANE which is one of the coolest zombie concepts I’ve ever seen. He used some scenes and plot lines from I LOVE SARAH JANE in HESHER which made me super excited to see. Specner Susser is going to do amazing things, and I am pleased to say that I have been witness to one of the first.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Thom Yorke never learned how to make bad music..

Thom Yorke is the frontman for Radiohead, has also released 1 solo album and is the epitome of a music genius. Thom is currently working on another solo album, but in the meantime he teamed up with his brother(who fronts Unbelievable Truth) for a track titled All For The Best which is part of a tribute/benefit album for the former Miracle Legion frontman whose wife died suddenly last year.

The track is pretty fantastic especially if you need some new Thom Yorke stuff in your life. You can check it out on antiquiet.com and I highly suggest you do.

‘Moneyball’ gets jumpstart

Apparently ‘Moneyball’ isnt dead yet, and this is the best news of the day because this is one project that I think Brad Pitt is absolutely perfect for. Aaron Sorkin has come on board to adapt a new script that will replace that of Steve Zaillian’s earlier draft. We get this from THR:

The writer has been brought on to do a draft of the baseball drama, drawing on Steve Zaillian’s earlier take. The studio wants to move forward quickly with the new iteration, with Sorkin set to turn in his version as soon as next month.

Brad Pitt remains on board to star, but Steven Soderbergh no longer will write or direct and is not involved in the film.

Its tough news to hear that Soderbergh will have nothing to do with it at this point but I think the movie will be a “homerun”(wow, I just went there) and has the potential to be one of the best baseball movies of all time.

I posted this originally on We Are Movie Geeks

I am commited to being a movie geek, proven by my new tattoo

Yes what you see in front of you is my newest tattoo on the underside of my forearm. It is a VHS tape that reads “Never Forget” and the letters on the tape are WAMG(WeAreMovieGeeks.com). I was inspired by Mondo Tee’s VHS Never Forget tshirt.

Feast your eyes on the tattoo and if you know whats good for you, go and get your own version!

Trailer for my first starring film..

I am starring in a film titled “White Tiger: The story of Rick and Roddy’. This is the first trailer done by the amazing AJ Meadows. Check us out on dontknowshampoo.com!