So Many Movies on a Snow Day (1 Really Good One)
"Price Check"
starring: Parker Posey, Eric Mabius, Matt Servitto, Annie Prasse, Finn Donoghue, Victor Cruz, Amy Schumer, Josh Pais
written and directed by: Michael Walter
Parker Posey has always been my indie film queen. The crush began when I saw her in "Dazed and Confused" and carried through the '90s with films like, Party Girl, The Doom Generation, The Daytrippers, Flirt, Kicking and Screaming, The House of Yes, Clockwatchers, Henry's Fool, and let's not forget her roles in all Christopher Guest films. Suffice to say, she is an unbelievable actress when given great material. Her character/role in "Price Check" follows in the same line as her other indie roles- it's dry wit and intelligence, not to mention the ready-to-snap kookiness, all virtues of the actress.
Posey is efficiency-minded whip-cracker Susan Felders, who’s hired to take control of a grocery-store chain’s lackluster Long Island headquarters. With her reputation as a “real ball-buster” preceding her, Susan storms in with startling force, wielding motivational rants and corporate Kool-Aid for all to imbibe. While still always seeming like her sharp and shrill self, Posey fashions Susan into a warped, unique creation, who, in a single scene, can register as sincere, cutthroat, ethical, and dangerously unhinged.
Within days, Susan pins her sights on Pete Cozy (Eric Mabius), whose surname none-too-subtly points to his middle-class complacency. A challenge-averse drone who ditched his music-production dreams to make ends meet, Pete responds to Susan’s arrival by scrambling for a new job, but the dogged boss slows his roll, buffering her clear attraction by talking shop and promising promotions. Awkwardly crossing boundaries and further exerting her influence, Susan weasels her way into Pete’s life, even inviting herself to meet his wife, Sara (Annie Parisse), and attend his young son’s Halloween party. As Susan and Pete fast emerge as the king and queen of company growth, gabbing about competitors’ tactics and meeting with industry honchos, their requisite affair is far less interesting than their timely class clash, which Susan observes with both sympathy and passive condescension.
This is more about the plight of every nine-to-fiver as embodied in Pete, and how it relates to his family life. It's drab. It's routine. And it dissolves your soul, little by little. The people and the story sort of exist in a vacuum, as it is specific to their world, therefore not necessarily relatable to some people, but the dialogue saves the script when it feels less than authentic.
It was a bit disappointing that the film lost itself in the third act, the climax of the film, though, because it was strong up until the end. It's still worth watching.
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"Pay the Ghost"
starring: Nicholas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Veronica Ferres, Lyriq Bent, Lauren Beatty, Jack Fulton, Stephen McHattie, Juan Carlos Velis
written by: Dan Kay
directed by: Uli Edel
Can we all agree, at this point, that Hollywood probably feels bad for Nicholas Cage and that's why he continues to get work. Perhaps also it has something to do with his international draw. Film studios know that foreign audiences still love him, and so they bank on making money overseas. Either way, it's become kind of a sad trainwreck that you can't help watching.
This is another one of Cage's films that you can skip.
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"Adult Beginners"
starring: Rose Byrne, Nick Kroll, Bobby Cannavale, Joel McHale, Caleb and Matthew Paddock, Paula Garces, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Jane Krakowski, Mike Birbiglia, David Bernon, Bobby Moynihan, Seth Barrish, Jason Mantzoukas, Sarah Steele
written by: Jeff Cox and Liz Flahive
directed by: Ross Katz
I loved this film, but it might be because of the subject, which apparently is a bit played-out, but the material here is so well-written and the three lead actors do such a great job with her roles that you really don't mind that you feel like you've seen this story before, over and over. What is it, by the way, with films about grown men sort of playing the Prodigal Son Returning to "fix" things? Why is that such an attractive story arc for Hollywood? Is it because these films are written by men? Why do we "allow" stories where broken men can come back and fix their lives? The man-child makes right is a Hollywood go-to plot ever since "Garden State" became such a huge hit (and full disclosure, that is one of my all-time favorites).
After his venture-capital invention scheme goes horribly awry within the time of its own launch party, Jake (Nick Kroll) relocates to the Long Island house where he grew up, dropping in unannounced on his sister, Justine (Rose Byrne), her husband, Danny (Bobby Cannavale), and their three-year old son, Teddy. Jake’s “job” as the kid’s caretaker becomes an extended metaphorical riff on his inability to see what other people are going through, mismatching the foulmouthed thirtysomething schlub with a bright-eyed toddler for scene after scene to redundant comedic payoff.
Making the most of a character initially drawn as a harmless meathead, Cannavale gets to contort the most of the three leads; Jake learns some utterly mundane life lessons about compassion by being taken down a peg, but in so doing he also finds out about a pained mini-affair Danny is having on the side. The actor ably portrays a man torn asunder by his piling-up list of responsibilities, in need of what he rationally understands is superficial attention—with the 13-weeks-pregnant Justine practically catatonic during their few quiet moments alone together. Byrne gives Justine a warm, earthy intelligence, leavening an otherwise thanklessly klutzy stock character.
The film works because of the chemistry between the three lead actors (and it was great watching real-life married couple Byrne and Cannavale traverse through a troubled marriage) and the fact that they add glimpses of self-awareness to complicate their characters beyond what was written on the page. It helps that they've all been around for awhile and have played a variety of roles. But, does Kroll's character really need to learn a lesson by the end of the film? Does he in fact change, when the credits role? This is what film as escapism is all about, because at its heart, there's a story, but the fact that everything is solved by the film's end is slightly unbelievable.
.......................................................................
"Amanda and Jack Go Glamping"
starring: Amy Acker, David Arquette, Adan Canto, June Squib, Gustavo Gomez, Nicole Elliott, Daniel Ross Owens
written and directed by: Brandon Dickerson
Amy Acker seemed to be Joss Whedon's other go-to girl (besides Eliza Dushku) when he wrote and made films and TV shows thanks to her roles in his projects including "Angel," "Dollhouse," Cabin in the Woods," "Much Ado About Nothing," as well as her long stint on "Person of Interest" (not Whedon). She's a very well-respected actress, you could say. So then, why the hell she decided to make this film with David Arquette (who seems to have definitely gone long past his expiration date of relevance) is anyone's guess.
This is supposed to be a film as a metaphor type of story, but unfortunately it losses its message in its straight up silliness and amateur nature.
........................................................................
"Bad Match"
starring: Noureen DeWulf, Lili Simmons, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Brandon Scott, Chase Williamson, Christine Donlon, Trent Haaga, Kahyun Kim, Talisa Friedman
written and directed by: David Chirchirillo
This was actually a pretty decent horror film for our new technology generation. Think "Swimfan" meets "Fatal Attraction" and "Single White Female" for the Tinder-age of the dating scene. That being said, the filmmaker clearly has done his homework and watched all the oldies-but-goodies that set the stage for him to make this one. He took all the good pieces of those stories and those characters (re: the crazy girls) and spun them on their heads to create his modern-day version of that in Riley (played very well by Lili Simmons). It's a romantic thriller almost solely focused on ruining the playboy main character's life via social media and technology in general. It's about a young woman who becomes obsessed with a guy and just will not accept that she got used for a one-night stand, and she sets out to make sure he knows she will not be forgotten or passed over. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. x100.
This entertaining thriller in the age of Tinder hookups puts a magnifying glass to extreme cases of modern dating. One of the main characters is Harris, played by Jack Cutmore-Scott, who portrays a twenty-something L.A. guy working for a hip advertising agency (complete with hot female boss and all). When Harris isn’t working he’s enjoying his carefree life playing online video games, throwing back some drinks with friends and swiping to the right – on his dating app that is. He works his way through the jungle of potential hookups like a man on a mission because for this slick millennial, it’s “a numbers game”. The more girls you get in touch with the more you can potentially hook up with.
starring: Parker Posey, Eric Mabius, Matt Servitto, Annie Prasse, Finn Donoghue, Victor Cruz, Amy Schumer, Josh Pais
written and directed by: Michael Walter
Parker Posey has always been my indie film queen. The crush began when I saw her in "Dazed and Confused" and carried through the '90s with films like, Party Girl, The Doom Generation, The Daytrippers, Flirt, Kicking and Screaming, The House of Yes, Clockwatchers, Henry's Fool, and let's not forget her roles in all Christopher Guest films. Suffice to say, she is an unbelievable actress when given great material. Her character/role in "Price Check" follows in the same line as her other indie roles- it's dry wit and intelligence, not to mention the ready-to-snap kookiness, all virtues of the actress.
Posey is efficiency-minded whip-cracker Susan Felders, who’s hired to take control of a grocery-store chain’s lackluster Long Island headquarters. With her reputation as a “real ball-buster” preceding her, Susan storms in with startling force, wielding motivational rants and corporate Kool-Aid for all to imbibe. While still always seeming like her sharp and shrill self, Posey fashions Susan into a warped, unique creation, who, in a single scene, can register as sincere, cutthroat, ethical, and dangerously unhinged.
Within days, Susan pins her sights on Pete Cozy (Eric Mabius), whose surname none-too-subtly points to his middle-class complacency. A challenge-averse drone who ditched his music-production dreams to make ends meet, Pete responds to Susan’s arrival by scrambling for a new job, but the dogged boss slows his roll, buffering her clear attraction by talking shop and promising promotions. Awkwardly crossing boundaries and further exerting her influence, Susan weasels her way into Pete’s life, even inviting herself to meet his wife, Sara (Annie Parisse), and attend his young son’s Halloween party. As Susan and Pete fast emerge as the king and queen of company growth, gabbing about competitors’ tactics and meeting with industry honchos, their requisite affair is far less interesting than their timely class clash, which Susan observes with both sympathy and passive condescension.
This is more about the plight of every nine-to-fiver as embodied in Pete, and how it relates to his family life. It's drab. It's routine. And it dissolves your soul, little by little. The people and the story sort of exist in a vacuum, as it is specific to their world, therefore not necessarily relatable to some people, but the dialogue saves the script when it feels less than authentic.
It was a bit disappointing that the film lost itself in the third act, the climax of the film, though, because it was strong up until the end. It's still worth watching.
...............................................................
"Pay the Ghost"
starring: Nicholas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, Veronica Ferres, Lyriq Bent, Lauren Beatty, Jack Fulton, Stephen McHattie, Juan Carlos Velis
written by: Dan Kay
directed by: Uli Edel
Can we all agree, at this point, that Hollywood probably feels bad for Nicholas Cage and that's why he continues to get work. Perhaps also it has something to do with his international draw. Film studios know that foreign audiences still love him, and so they bank on making money overseas. Either way, it's become kind of a sad trainwreck that you can't help watching.
In "Pay the Ghost," Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies play spouses estranged since the disappearance of their young son while trick-or-treating on Halloween, and though a year has passed since Charlie (Jack Fulton) vanished, college professor Mike (Cage) continues to pass along his latest conspiracy theories to a detective (Lyriq Bent).
The story hints at the depth of its literary roots, with an elaborate exposition drawing on Halloween's Celtic origin and the tradition's propagation in the colonial settlements of 1679 New York. But none of this is explored in depth in the film, something that would have enhanced Mike's character development given his academic background.
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"Adult Beginners"
starring: Rose Byrne, Nick Kroll, Bobby Cannavale, Joel McHale, Caleb and Matthew Paddock, Paula Garces, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Jane Krakowski, Mike Birbiglia, David Bernon, Bobby Moynihan, Seth Barrish, Jason Mantzoukas, Sarah Steele
written by: Jeff Cox and Liz Flahive
directed by: Ross Katz
I loved this film, but it might be because of the subject, which apparently is a bit played-out, but the material here is so well-written and the three lead actors do such a great job with her roles that you really don't mind that you feel like you've seen this story before, over and over. What is it, by the way, with films about grown men sort of playing the Prodigal Son Returning to "fix" things? Why is that such an attractive story arc for Hollywood? Is it because these films are written by men? Why do we "allow" stories where broken men can come back and fix their lives? The man-child makes right is a Hollywood go-to plot ever since "Garden State" became such a huge hit (and full disclosure, that is one of my all-time favorites).
After his venture-capital invention scheme goes horribly awry within the time of its own launch party, Jake (Nick Kroll) relocates to the Long Island house where he grew up, dropping in unannounced on his sister, Justine (Rose Byrne), her husband, Danny (Bobby Cannavale), and their three-year old son, Teddy. Jake’s “job” as the kid’s caretaker becomes an extended metaphorical riff on his inability to see what other people are going through, mismatching the foulmouthed thirtysomething schlub with a bright-eyed toddler for scene after scene to redundant comedic payoff.
Making the most of a character initially drawn as a harmless meathead, Cannavale gets to contort the most of the three leads; Jake learns some utterly mundane life lessons about compassion by being taken down a peg, but in so doing he also finds out about a pained mini-affair Danny is having on the side. The actor ably portrays a man torn asunder by his piling-up list of responsibilities, in need of what he rationally understands is superficial attention—with the 13-weeks-pregnant Justine practically catatonic during their few quiet moments alone together. Byrne gives Justine a warm, earthy intelligence, leavening an otherwise thanklessly klutzy stock character.
The film works because of the chemistry between the three lead actors (and it was great watching real-life married couple Byrne and Cannavale traverse through a troubled marriage) and the fact that they add glimpses of self-awareness to complicate their characters beyond what was written on the page. It helps that they've all been around for awhile and have played a variety of roles. But, does Kroll's character really need to learn a lesson by the end of the film? Does he in fact change, when the credits role? This is what film as escapism is all about, because at its heart, there's a story, but the fact that everything is solved by the film's end is slightly unbelievable.
.......................................................................
"Amanda and Jack Go Glamping"
starring: Amy Acker, David Arquette, Adan Canto, June Squib, Gustavo Gomez, Nicole Elliott, Daniel Ross Owens
written and directed by: Brandon Dickerson
Amy Acker seemed to be Joss Whedon's other go-to girl (besides Eliza Dushku) when he wrote and made films and TV shows thanks to her roles in his projects including "Angel," "Dollhouse," Cabin in the Woods," "Much Ado About Nothing," as well as her long stint on "Person of Interest" (not Whedon). She's a very well-respected actress, you could say. So then, why the hell she decided to make this film with David Arquette (who seems to have definitely gone long past his expiration date of relevance) is anyone's guess.
What do you get when you fall in love? A couple of cute kids, an underwater mortgage, and a dash of bitter resentment from the crushing reality that you’re not the adult your 18-year-old self thought you would be? Life is something like that for the titular couple in Amanda & Jack Go Glamping, written and directed by Brandon Dickerson (A Single Frame). Jack (Arquette, bloated and gray) and Amanda (Acker, the opposite) are on the verge of divorce now that Jack’s writing career is on the rocks and the magic has shriveled after 15 years. So they take a little romantic getaway (not a unique remedy by any means) to Green Acres in Elgin, Texas. They find themselves in the company of a pair of newlyweds (Elliott & Owens) and their Instagram-ready clan, complete with traveling photo booth.
The good vibes are just too much for Jack, and he gets increasingly rude and even a little violent. Arquette wears his trademark squint, at times really scrunching into it, which gives him the look of a guy who can hardly stand himself. He oozes a stench of self-pity that acts as a social repellent. He’s complicated and toxic, a fully developed character, and I wish I could say the same for his counterpart. Amanda isn’t given much of a backstory, and she seems awfully chipper for a woman who’s considering taking her two kids and moving to her brother’s. She’s just the other half of the marriage, the half that isn’t falling apart. There’s nothing wrong with Acker’s performance; it just feels a bit incongruous given the circumstances.
This is supposed to be a film as a metaphor type of story, but unfortunately it losses its message in its straight up silliness and amateur nature.
........................................................................
"Bad Match"
starring: Noureen DeWulf, Lili Simmons, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Brandon Scott, Chase Williamson, Christine Donlon, Trent Haaga, Kahyun Kim, Talisa Friedman
written and directed by: David Chirchirillo
This was actually a pretty decent horror film for our new technology generation. Think "Swimfan" meets "Fatal Attraction" and "Single White Female" for the Tinder-age of the dating scene. That being said, the filmmaker clearly has done his homework and watched all the oldies-but-goodies that set the stage for him to make this one. He took all the good pieces of those stories and those characters (re: the crazy girls) and spun them on their heads to create his modern-day version of that in Riley (played very well by Lili Simmons). It's a romantic thriller almost solely focused on ruining the playboy main character's life via social media and technology in general. It's about a young woman who becomes obsessed with a guy and just will not accept that she got used for a one-night stand, and she sets out to make sure he knows she will not be forgotten or passed over. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. x100.
This entertaining thriller in the age of Tinder hookups puts a magnifying glass to extreme cases of modern dating. One of the main characters is Harris, played by Jack Cutmore-Scott, who portrays a twenty-something L.A. guy working for a hip advertising agency (complete with hot female boss and all). When Harris isn’t working he’s enjoying his carefree life playing online video games, throwing back some drinks with friends and swiping to the right – on his dating app that is. He works his way through the jungle of potential hookups like a man on a mission because for this slick millennial, it’s “a numbers game”. The more girls you get in touch with the more you can potentially hook up with.
Chirchirillo does best in building up some highly effective tension, shifting the funny to furious in the second act as things get extremely dark. There’s an interesting moment early in the movie when Harris breaks down his strategy for bedding women, not realizing that his formula might get him pretty girls but has a loophole to also let in a monster. Or so it seems. In the modern age, the slow destruction of a human being is remarkably easy it would seem, and Bad Match makes a good case to get off the grid and live in the woods. What elevates Bad Match to the next level is how it sidesteps a traditional ending in favor of something a bit more cryptic and Chirchirillo delivers some genuinely good twists and some even better direction as it all comes together.
Drawing from the likes of Hitchcock and De Palma, there’s a lot visually about Bad Match that ripens this from a standard trope-laden girl gone crazy flick to something far deeper (a particularly good moment comes in a voyeuristic scene at a park). By the third act, you think you know what’s going on but Chirchirillo constantly pulls the rug out from under us, forcing us to ask some challenging questions. Madness shapes everything about Bad Match and every step of the way seems blisteringly authentic. This is an online dating nightmare and one you’ve totally got to go on.
This is actually a surprisingly well done, easy to watch film, as it remains entertaining all the way through, from beginning to end.
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