Enough Said

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Enough Said
  • IMDB: link

Enough SaidJulia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini star as two divorced parents of daughters on their way to college. Their burgeoning relationship is put in jeopardy by Eva’s (Louis-Dreyfus) new friendship with the masseuse’s latest client who turns out to be her new boyfriend’s ex-wife (Catherine Keener).

The set-up of the unusual situation works well. However, rather than deal with the unique situation the three people find themselves, Eva decides to take a page from your average Katherine Heigl or Kate Hudson flick, and try to secretly carry on both relationships.

Despite an intriguing middle-age love story, a pair of likable stars, and a strong first act, the latest from writer/director Nicole Holofcener eventually devolves into predictable romcom cliche. Although I still think the film is worth seeking out for its two stars, and the subplot involving Eva’s relationship with both her daughter (Tracey Fairaway) and her daughter’s best friend (Tavi Gevinson), eventually the shenanigans of the film’s second-half overshadow the intriguing story which is buried under too many groanworthy moments.

…

Enough SaidRead More »

Enough Said Read More »

Fruitvale Station

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Fruitvale Station
  • IMDB: link

Fruitvale StationBased on a true story, Fruitvale Station offers a single day slice-of-life look at the life of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) on the day he was killed by a police officer (Kevin Durand) at a subway station on New Year’s Eve. Writer/director Ryan Coogler offers one of most emotional films of 2013 showcasing Oscar’s trouble staying on the straight and narrow, holding down a job, and doing right by his girlfriend (Melonie Diaz), mother (Octavia Spencer), and daughter (Ariana Neal) all while leading up to the final few minutes of his life.

Despite an 85-minute running time Fruitvale Station has issues filling the film with sequences from Grant’s unremarkable final day. Although it offers flashbacks to Oscar’s time in prison to explain his relationship to his mother we get very little of the rest of his life prior to this day. The movie also has several filler sequences of Oscar driving around the city which feel included only to boost the running time closer to a feature-length 90 minutes.

…

Fruitvale StationRead More »

Fruitvale Station Read More »

True Detective – The Long Bright Dark

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: True Detective – The Long Bright Dark
  • IMDB: link

True Detective - The Long Bright Dark

Created by Nic Pizzolatto, HBO’s new anthology series True Detective stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as a pair of former Louisiana State Police Detectives who are brought back into the fold to discuss a 1995 paganistic killing 17 years later when a case eerily similar occurs. Interviewed separately each men tell their version of events both on the case itself, their partner, and what they remember of the time surrounding the first murder which the audience witnesses in extended flashback sequences that slowly begin to fill-in the story of a murder of a prostitute found in the wounds drugged, bound, raped, and whose body was staged with symbols and a crown of antlers tied to her head.

…

True Detective – The Long Bright DarkRead More »

True Detective – The Long Bright Dark Read More »

The Spoils of Babylon – The War Within

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Spoils of Babylon – The War Within
  • IMDB: link

The Spoils of Babylon - The War Within

Slightly funnier than the first episode of IFC’s new mini-series, but still suffering from the same problems, “The War Within” is concerned mainly with Lt. Devon Morehouse’s (Tobey Maguire) adventures during WWII including being shot down and taken prisoner by the Japanese. After surviving a fiery plane crash without a scratch and later making his ridiculous escape from the POW camp, Devon eventually returns to his adopted home with his new wife Lady Anne York (a mannequin voiced by Carey Mulligan).

…

The Spoils of Babylon – The War WithinRead More »

The Spoils of Babylon – The War Within Read More »

Daredevil: Dark Nights #8

/ / Comics

Daredevil: Dark Nights #8The final arc of the eight-issue anthology mini-series comes to a close as Daredevil sets out to save Misty Knight from her Cuban drug lord ex-boyfriend. It also offers a flashback of the series of events leading up to Knight loosing her arm and requiring a bionic replacement.

Separated for most of the issue, Daredevil: Dark Nights #8 doesn’t offer much in the way of banter between the two heroes. And although she gets to do a little butt-kicking in the final few panels (including saving Daredevil from Carmen Averez), I’m a little disappointed that Misty Knight spends so much of the final issue of the series as the damsel in distress.

Daredevil: Dark Nights may not have delivered great stories over its eight-issue run, but the adventures of Matt Murdock had their moments and I’m sorry to see the series coming to an end as Marvel gears up to a big February relaunch of several of their core titles (including Daredevil). For fans.

[Marvel, $3.99]

Daredevil: Dark Nights #8 Read More »