Begin Again

Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley make for unexpected musical collaborators in Begin Again, the best kind of indie -- really unique and difficult to put into a box. Some of the most refreshing things about it can not be specified in an effort to avoid spoilers. Often said but there really was a very strong cast. Adam Levine has a solid acting debut, though his role as a musician is not too much of a stretch. British actor James Corden is a great friend to Knightley's character and Hailee Steinfeld and Catherine Keener are equally believable as Ruffalo's estranged family.

No one can play a sympathetic screw-up like Mark Ruffalo. Somehow he manages to make each of his characters fitting that description different from the last. Ruffalo may very well be an Entertainer of the Year with HBO's the Normal Heart and now Begin Again. While he may be the current in a long line of Hulks, he still maintains his indie roots.

It looks as though Begin Again is kicking off an excellent year in independent film. Wish I Was Here, Zach Braff's second directorial effort, opened in limited release this week with solid reviews and Obvious Child was another indie great thus far into 2014. In the fall, the Jason Bateman/Tina Fey family comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You opens in September, Laggies, also starring Keira Knightley arrives in theaters in October and the Thanksgiving indie Hollidaysburg fittingly debuts in November. God Help The Girl and The One I Love also look promising. Should be a particularly interesting year at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Tammy

Melissa McCarthy stars as Tammy in the type of role for which she has become famous. Wacky and unique, the characters are well developed with extended back histories. More along the lines of Identity Thief than the Heat, Tammy is not bad but it is not really great either.

It is more than a stretch to believe that Susan Sarandon is old enough to be Melissa McCarthy's grandma. They did a solid job with Sarandon's hair and wardrobe to age her but it was not enough to suspend one's disbelief. With Allison Janney as Tammy's mom, it seemed to shed even more light on the ages being implausible. Sarandon is only thirteen years older than Janney, Janney only eleven years older than McCarthy. The ages are so off, it almost suggests that it was done on purpose, like some kind of Bad Grandpa routine, though I am still missing why.

Opening July 2nd for the Fourth of July weekend, in its five days in release, Tammy has made 33 million dollars, 21 million of it just during the weekend. Released almost exactly a year apart, the Heat made 39 million in its opening weekend last summer. That is not a huge difference considering the Heat also starred Sandra Bullock. Even with mediocre reviews, Tammy has already made millions more than its budget.

Tammy was written by McCarthy and her husband, Ben Falcone, who also directed. Falcone often cameos in McCarthy's films, most memorably in Bridesmaids and also in the Heat and Identity Thief. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay also produced. 

You will not have to rewatch this movie to catch the dialogue that you laughed over, my desired experience in a comedy, but it is not a bad flick either. The extended cast is peppered with recognizable faces and does have a certain charm.

22 Jump Street

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill have made Jump Street a lucrative franchise. The sequel made $20 million dollars more domestically in its opening weekend than 21 Jump Street. Always poking fun at itself for being a sequel, the movie is very self aware, even more so than the first flick was for making a movie out of an old tv show. 22 follows sequel conventions like doing the same thing as the original, but with a twist, bringing back even minor characters and aiming to go bigger than the first movie.

From the box office results and the opinions of other viewers, the sequel has been very well liked. 22 Jump Street has a 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8/10 on imdb. Personally, I was underwhelmed. While I appreciate the nods to Hollywood's predictability at turning out sequels and unoriginal material, there was a non-related long running joke that did not relent and it just got old. Next time I will have to give myself my "manage expectations" pep talk right as the movie starts (seems to work best on comedies). Of course, watching some Channing Tatum is always better than not watching some Channing Tatum.

The movie seems to indicate that there will not be a 23 Jump Street. However, I couldn't help but wonder, would a third Jump Street be like part three of the Hangover trilogy or Oceans 13? Redeeming? Interestingly, those franchises' third entries shared a return to their original locations, in Vegas. To take from the sequel debate in the second Scream movie, the third movies in a film franchise tend to be better and the seconds weaker. Hollywood can not seem to resist milking a concept until it no longer generates a profit, so maybe in the Summer of 2016 there will be a 23 Jump Street: Medical School.

Maleficent

Angelina Jolie successfully embodies Disney villainess Maleficent and the storytellers behind the movie provide a fascinating backstory. Jolie dances the perfect line between honoring the iconic role that is so well known and making it her own. She was perfectly cast and gives great depth to the character.

The production value is fantastic. Jolie's make-up and costumes as Maleficent are breaktaking. The look achieved draws on the classic images of the character while adding a fresh twist. There is also story to back up the stunning looks and accessories. The sets and special effects are of the highest quality. Big imagery for story's sake, not just for flash. It seems likely the movie will receive technical nominations for its efforts.

There is much more humor in the dialogue than I would have anticipated and Linda Woolverton wrote an excellent script. The story remains true to the Disney canon while bringing the anticipated new perspective to the movie. A satisfying backstory is provided; it is not sped past too quickly nor dwelled on for too long.

Live action adaptations of fairy tales continue to be an increasing trend in Hollywood, albeit with mixed results. For every Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, there is a Red Riding Hood movie no one can recall and Snow White stories to be mixed up. Disney has many additional projects in production in what has become a genre of its own. Alice Through the Looking Glass has a scheduled 2016 release. The truest teaser trailer ever edited can be seen before Maleficent; only a glass slipper is shown and not even the movie's title is displayed. It is of course for Cinderella. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, featuring Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother, the movie will arrive in theaters March 2015. Live action adaptations of The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, and Cruella are also in the works.

Jolie served as an executive producer on the film and to date it has made almost half a billion dollars worldwide. Maleficent is visually stunning and has the substance to support it. Without revealing any plot points, there are modern twists to the story that when paired with the plot of Frozen, seem to signal a change in the predictability of Disney fairy tales.

Obvious Child

Jenny Slate stars along with Jake Lacy and Gaby Hoffmann in an unconventional indie comedy. Broken down to one phrase, the film is a comedy about unplanned pregnancy. It's really a glimpse at the life of a young comedienne at a time in her life when all she is being handed are lemons. The movie title comes from the Paul Simon song of the same name that is featured in the trailer and in the movie.

The cast is very strong. You might recognize Jenny Slate from Parks and Rec or her one season on Saturday Night Live. She infamously dropped an f-bomb in her first SNL sketch. Gaby Hoffmann was thankfully nothing like the character she played on the past season of Girls and is a realistic best friend (Slate too has guest starred on Girls). The love interest in the movie is played by Jake Lacy, who you might recall as "New Jim" from the Office. Slate's character's closest comedian friend is portrayed by Gabe Liedman and he gives a standout performance. Liedman and Slate are the comedy duo Gabe and Jenny in real life and have been friends since college. Richard Kind plays the Jim Henson like dad of the main character, Slate's Donna, and her elegant professor mother is portrayed by Polly Draper. Personal trivia, I actually met Richard Kind in a bar in downtown Portland the week that I turned twenty-one.

I hope that Obvious Child gets some attention at the Independent Spirit Awards. It seems like this year's In A World... Written and directed by Gillian Robespierre, the film was originally shot as a short film in 2009 and starred Slate as Donna. I had never heard of the movie prior to Emily getting screening passes for it but I hope it does well because it is a really good film.



**UPDATE** excellent interview of Jenny Slate on Late Night with Seth Meyers, though the Obvious Child stuff is missing, in its entirety, it's the best Meyers' interview to date. 

Neighbors

Neighbors is the comedic romp of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne's young family up against their new neighbors, a frat led by Zac Efron and Dave Franco. I had high hopes for this one and it did deliver the laughs. The promotional oversaturation of all new releases more often than not begs the question, "are all the good parts in the trailer?" Particularly with comedies, one often can't help but wonder if all the funny parts are in the previews too. I am happy to report that there are many more jokes than in the trailers. And the jokes from the previews pass mostly at the very beginning. Rose Byrne was great in it, she held her own against the guys and it was fun to hear her Australian accent for a change. There are plenty of cameos early on and one casting choice that was a surprise to me. I loved that actor popping up. As I like to do, I will leave it as a surprise here. If you know me, you will know exactly why I was so tickled when you see the character.

There was only one, maybe two, scenes towards the end that could have been shorter. That's really the only criticism I have. You get what is advertised, a funny R Rated comedy with Seth Rogen doing what he does, this time as a new dad. The fraternity movie stereotypes were all present but they had a fresh coat of paint and a different angle. See the "How To Make the Ultimate Greek Movie" article from last week's Entertainment Weekly to jog your memory. The print version does have some excellent visuals and sidebars that are missing online -- it's the EW with Orange is the New Black on the cover (so you should be reading it anyway, but that's a post for another day...). There are tons of pop culture references throughout the dialogue of Neighbors, which I very much enjoyed, and the soundtrack is fantastic. Lots of good party music and well timed musical cues.

In watching press for Neighbors, it was discussed on the Graham Norton Show, when Seth Rogen and Zac Efron were guests, that there are no fraternities in Canada or the UK. The flick is also called Bad Neighbors in its UK release. Rogen gave the explanation that frats are like rugby teams, guys drink and beat up the littlest guy. Rogen and Efron also appeared in Jimmy Fallon's "ew" bit and it is hilarious. Efron nailed his role in a similar style to when Channing Tatum did the sketch with Jimmy. Rogen has a full beard and is in no way a convincing tween girl. How bad he is at it, makes it good. The selfies and the dancing are the best parts. 
If you are looking for a crazy comedy that has the heart to ground it, check out Neighbors.

The Other Woman

Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton star as the trio of unlikely gal pals plotting revenge on the philanderer that deceived all of them. Hijinks ensue. There was a feeling that was reminiscent of The First Wives Club, this time with all three women out to get the same creep. The physical comedy of Diaz and Mann was hilarious and somehow the friendship between the women was believable. Yet even more surprising was the continued believability of the relationships with the addition of Upton's stereotypically ditzy character. She seemed more like their kid sister than a recently discovered second mistress.

Taylor Kinney plays Leslie Mann's brother in the movie and he definitely stands out. Kinney stars on tv's Chicago Fire. The hunted husband is portrayed by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from HBO's Game of Thrones. While I was not aware of either actor prior to this movie, Coster-Waldau slipped into another accent by mistake a couple of times leaving a less than stellar impression. Nicki Minaj, who always seemed annoying, was funny in her supporting role as Diaz' assistant. The casting of Diaz' lothario father was an amusing surprise so I leave that for the reader who has not yet seen the movie as well.

Nick Cassavetes directed. He is best known for directing The Notebook and previously Cameron Diaz in My Sister's Keeper. His father was independent film legend John Cassavetes. While the score did not particularly stand out, it was good and the soundtrack was very strong.

At the box office The Other Woman has been dubbed a surprise hit. Despite negative reviews from critics, the movie led last weekend's box office against Captain America and has made more than 47 million worldwide. My friend saw a screening of the movie and had been disappointed that it was not as funny as she had hoped. This lowered my expectations and led to me enjoying the movie much more than I would have without that warning. There was also a really great Sopranos joke that I think much of the audience I was in missed.

As April ends, the slump that follows Oscar season and precedes the summer blockbusters, is coming to a close. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens this Friday, May 2nd, X-Men: Days of Future Past opens May 23rd and Maleficent opens May 30th to name a few.