Neighbors

Director Nicolas Stoller, working with a script by Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien has brought forth Neighbors, a film that starts out lame, then moves to stupid before going to gross…where there are, admittedly, some good laughs…and, finally, moves to an embarrassment for everyone involved.

The only actor(s) that look good in this total miscalculation are Elise and Zooey Vargas, who take turns playing the part of the baby of demented parents, poorly played by Seth Rogen and only slightly better played by Rose Byrne.

 

It just doesn’t work.  It’s not to be mentioned in the same breath as Animal House or Superbad.

I give Neighbors a 2 out of 5. 

Fading Gigolo

Writer/Director John Turturo’s Fading Gigolo is a delightful tale of a kindhearted man named Fioravante (Turturo), who becomes a professional Don Juan to help out his cash-strapped friend Murray (Woody Allen).  Murray, in turn, becomes his manager, i.e., pimp, and finds Fioravante a wealthy clientele composed of the likes of Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone) and Selma (Sofia Vergara).  But, when Fioravante meets Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), an orthodox Jewish widow, he begins to fall in love.

Turturo, Stone and Vergara turn in excellent performances and Woody Allen is back to the top form of olden days.  But, the standout and award-worthy performance is that of Vanessa Paradis.

Composers Abraham Laboriel and Bill Maxwell set a musical background that sets the right mood for this bittersweet romance.

I give Fading Gigolo a 4 out of 5.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

There are many films whose endings make up for false steps along the way and leave the audience feeling satisfied.  Director Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 takes the opposite tact.  For 2 hours of its 2 hour and 16 minute duration, Webb commands an interesting and exciting tale worthy of at least a 4 out of 5 rating.  Then, in the last 16 minutes, the story completely falls apart and Screen Story Writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner and James Vanderbilt pull off a cheap, stupid ending that is the weakest setup ever for the next of, apparently, two sequels.

Spoiler Alert… They kill off the most engaging character in the movie, the one who’s made sitting through an over-two-hour movie worthwhile.  True, heroes and heroines do die in many films, but not in such a stupid way.   

We never really know why she dies.  Did she break her neck, have a heart attack, acquire a fast-acting cancer?  If Emma Stone was not available for the sequels, they could have sent her off to Oxford as she planned.  That would have taken her out of the sequels and left a good taste in our mouths.

Despite this little stunt, worthy of changing my rating to a 1 out of 5, Cinematographer Daniel Mindel and Production Designer Mark Friedberg have done an amazing job and Actors Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan and Andrew Garfield (except when he’s “doing angst”) are excellent, as well.

So, overall, I give The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a 3 out of 5, but Emma Stone gets a 4+ out of 5.   And, if you go, you might save some money by seeing it in 2D.  The 3D is only standard.

Chef

It’s easy to see why Writer/Director/Actor Jon Favreau’s Chef  won the Heineken Audience Favorite Award at the Tribeca Film Festival.

With an all-star cast, including Sophia Vergara, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey, Jr., Dustin Hoffman, John Leguizamo, Amy Sedaris and Oliver Platt, plus beautiful camera work by Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau and his mostly-on script, Favreau manages to keep the action spirited and fun.

The story involves a workaholic chef (Favreau), who is hampered from expressing his true artistry by the conservative restaurant owner (Hoffman) for whom he works.  Fired, when he goes off on a rant against a food critic (Platt), the chef has to rebuild his confidence and his relationship with his son (Emjay Anthony) and estranged wife (Vergara…who’s never looked lovelier).

 

You’ll have some good laughs and come out hungry. 

I give Chef a 4 out of 5.

The Other Woman

Although she has second billing, the only scenes in Director Nick Cassavetes’ The Other Woman that deliver on the comic promise of the film’s trailer are those with Leslie Mann in them.  The scenes without her tend to flounder and drag on, despite the delicious eye candy of Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton. 

And, despite the fact we want comeuppance for Nikolaj Coster Waldau’s Mark King, it comes across with too acerbic a tone, as if this were a thriller instead of a comedy.

The problem is twofold; Melissa Stack’s erratic script and the editing pace set by Editors Jim Flynn and Alan Heim.  Producer Julie Yorn, whose films are usually on point, might have been better served by whoever edited the peppy trailer.  

Though uneven, the film will, nevertheless, be enjoyed by women and those who have experienced the betrayal delivered by the Mark Kings of this world will, no doubt,  enjoy the pain he suffers despite the violation of the genre's tone.  And, men might take note of the message that those who betray their wives are also prone to betray those with whom they do business.

I give The Other Woman a 3 out of 5.  Leslie Mann, however, deserves a 4.

In Your Eyes

Writer/Producer Joss Whedon has teamed with Director Brin Hill to create the delightful supernatural romance In Your Eyes.

The couple involved, Rebecca Porter (Zoë Kazan) and Dylan Kershaw (Michael Stahl-David) has grown up thousands of miles apart, she in New Hampshire and he in New Mexico, but, since childhood, they are occasionally able to see what the other sees and feel the pains the other feels.  Now, they are suddenly able to hear the other’s voice, as well.

It’s a charming conceit to work from and with Whedon’s script, Cinematographer Elisha Christians images and Editor Steven Pilgrim’s cutting, Hill weaves the story, joyously.

 

Kazan and Stahl-David are both excellent and Nikki Reed adds to the fun as Dylan’s would-be and quite dim girlfriend Donna.

Whedon is a pioneer and has elected to distribute the film via the internet at InYourEyesMovie.com and Vimeo.   It’s well worth the view. 

I give In Your Eyes a 4 out of 5.