BradWesley123's Movie Journal- July 2016

There are some incredibly effective gags in The Brothers Grimsby, and a bundle of laughs, but the film never knows when to drop something; most of the jokes are taken too far and stretched thin. If it comes down to a better, nuanced joke and a quick gross-out one, this film takes the latter one every time.

A surprisingly engaging dramedy about war correspondents in the 2000s, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot doesn't say anything new about the war or the media, but overcomes this by keeping it's focus on a single person's experience. In a way, though mildly reductive, it's, somewhat, How Stella Got Her Groove Back with a dash of The Hurt Locker. Tonal whiplash is in the film's DNA; it goes from slapstick comedy to attempting sobering drama. It doesn't always work, but it's not as distracting as one would expect. It certainly helps that the film has such an engaging cast; Fey handles both the humorous and dramatic sections quite well (though she is certainly more adept to comedy), and she has solid chemistry with Freeman, who is charming in the film in his own right. Abbott, Molina, Robbie, and Thornton also pop up for some solid work. It does falter when it skewers more dramatically, but it's a rather fun diversion overall.

Monthly Wesley AwardBest Editing- Jan Kovac

There's an incredible story to be had here; anything involving violent religious fanaticism does. Colonia doesn't really care about that though, with it's main focus on jump scares and brutality. None of the cast gets much to do, as there is little to no genuine character work here. It's just a wallow in careless inhumanity and brutality, devoid of any genuine soul. For a similar story done far better, watch The Handmaid's Tale.

#Horror is mostly an odd, disjointed, hard-to-follow mess of a film, but it is not without a few charms. There's a section in the middle were the pack of preteens, who anchor the film, are merely bonding, and it's surprisingly effective. It's funny, entertaining, and honest; had the film forgotten that it was supposed to be a "horror" film and went more for a coming of age story, then it would have a been a pretty strong film. As is, it's just not very good.

The cast is exceptionally charming, carrying the film on their shoulders (Rudd, in particular, is superb), but The Fundamentals of Caring goes through the entire Sundance checklist. It all starts off pretty strongly, but once the movie hits the road it becomes a pretty mixed bag. It's watchable enough, though not thoroughly enough to give a legitimate endorsement.

The Program tries to cover too much ground, with too little focus. Ben Foster is strong in the lead role, but the there are just too many moving parts around him. The cast is quite strong, but they end up taking up too much time; Foster's coldly unsympathetic performance deserved more time to shine, and more dimension. It's often involving, but it could've been more.

Sleeping with Other People takes a premise that, at a surface level, should've been been fairly toxic and subverts it, injecting it with humor and, surprisingly, emotion. It's quite funny, but the feelings and emotions of the leads come across superbly, and often help make up for the film's narrative shortcomings. Sudeikis and Brie have excellent chemistry, and sell all of the material (as does the great supporting cast), including the mildly disappointing last act. The result of the ending isn't my problem, but the narrative stalling and meandering was but, like I said, it's nowhere near enough to sink the movie as a whole. Certainly one of the more compelling rom-coms of the decade.

As funny as it is insightful, Hello, My Name is Doris is a wonderfully empathetic portrait of aging and generational divergences. There are some minor narrative squabbles (the film's jumping off point is some mildly tacky stereotypes of hipsterdom), but the film is just too amusing to write off. Most of this comes down to Field's performance, balancing the film's more melancholy tone with aplomb, and the smartly balanced script.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Actress- Sally Field
Best Supporting Actress- Tyne Daly

As for the underdog story genre, Eddie the Eagle is a fairly entry. Unfortunately, its also an overly familiar one. Familiarity doesn't always equate to bad or boring, but it can if it isn't done with an panache or freshness; which this film mostly is. The leads are quite strong, with Egerton and Jackman finding the right groove for this material, and inject the film with more life than it really deserves. Without them, it would likely be a completely lifeless slog; as is, its an amiable viewing experience.

While the film's focus on female sexuality and eroticism is refreshingly out of step from most movies of this genre, Cracks is often too dull and unfocused to hit most of its targets. The film is well made though, with first-rate period designs, and it features a superb cast. Had the story only been tighter, then this thing could've hit much harder. Still, at least it's respectable.

Sure, there are a couple of genuinely funny moments. Unfortunately, you get the feeling that there should be a laugh-track accompanying them. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 might satisfy fans of the original who were dying to know what happened to these characters, but will leave other checking the clock.

Sleepwalk with Me is such a genuine film that, even for its miniature runtime, its virtual slightness doesn't much matter. Aside from often being hilarious, the film is also insightful about various topics including fame, ambition, and relationships. Birbiglia's (and Ira Glass's) script is the film's greatest attribute, but his performance's everyman quality expertly helps underscore the film's themes. It's a film like this that makes me quite happy to have a Netflix account.

Monthly Wesley AwardBest Adapted Screenplay- Mike Birbiglia & Ira Glass

While it's slacker satire hits some familiar territory, 7 Chinese Brothers is smart enough that goes beyond that, offering a surprisingly intimate examination of slacker in crisis. Said Slacker is Jason Schwartzman, and the film pretty much lives or dies by his prickliness. Luckily, at least for me, the thing mostly lives. Its slight, and it has very little in the way of plot, but I was willing to forgive its faults merely because a did enjoy it more than I expected. It is certain to be divisive though, so be warned.

Monthly Wesley AwardBest Actor- Jason Schwartzman

It's essentially a retread of the last two, but, somehow, less cohesive and more bland. Sure, the cast is okay (though the boredom is much more noticeable this time around), but the story offers nothing. This is Y/A nonsense at its most ineffectual.

While it is pretty original, The Family Fang's plot grows tedious and eventual succumbs to its ambition. The cast however, keeps things interesting despite it. Kidman and Bateman are terrific in their roles, carrying the film with a lived in quality. Bateman, behind the camera, is able to maintain the film's odd tone (its not quite comedy, but not really drama), though, as mentioned, can't quite overcome the script.

Everybody Wants Some!! is, simply put, just a hell of a lot of fun. While the last fifteen minutes or so attempt to add some meaning to the preceding film, to decent results, the film is mostly just a goofy ride-along through a college weekend filled with dumbasses and shit-talkers. The whole cast is great, believably capturing both the joys of youth and impending adulthood. Linklater's unfussy directing style also helps emphasize the naturalism on display. Highly recommended.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Picture
Best Director- Richard Linklater
Best Original Screenplay- Richard Linklater

Despite a very strong cast, I, Anna is a very forgettable slog, that has very little momentum and poor pacing. I honestly remember little about; the mark of a poor film.

The Final Frontier is likely the worst Star Trek film ever, but it's still a Star Trek movie; i.e. its still pretty fun. This one, in particular, is so odd and misshaped that you can enjoy it on various different levels. You can be intrigued by so much of the vagueness, or you can laugh at all of the awfulness. As goofy as it is though, I still had a fun time with it.

While it's certainly an uneven picture, The Undiscovered Country brings the luster back to Star Trek cinema, and serves as a fitting send-off to the original crew. The story is solid, the cast is strong (including Christopher Plumber as the villain, having a ball), and the technical aspects are a large improvement over the last one, though a few of the visual effects have aged mighty poorly (the Zero Gravity shootout, in particular, suffers from age). A fun adventure film with many of the highs and lows that come from Trek films.

Monthly Wesley AwardsBest Costume Design- Dodie Shepard
Best Production Design- Herman F. Zimmerman and Mickey S. Michaels
Best Score- Cliff Eidelman
Best Sound
Best Makeup
Best Visual Effects

By the Sea is often maligned by meandering execution and a rather high level of pretension, but I never found the movie entirely dull. It's an odd film, but it's attempts to mimic 1970s European-eroticism are almost always intriguing. It's slow, but I didn't find it boring. The film's main draws are the performances of its stars (Jolie, in particular, shines throughout), and the film's style. The costumes, sets, music and, especially, the cinematography all help emulate the the films it's inspired by. Divisive, certainly, but worth a view.

Monthly Wesley AwardBest Cinematography- Christian Berger

There are several times throughout The Adderall Diaries where the film's main theme, the gulf between history and memory, shine through beautifully, illustrated in evocative and heartfelt ways. It's a shame then, that those times are often suffocated by the film's meandering, unfocused story. Had the plot been stripped down to the father/son relationship, letting Franco and Harris do the work, then this could have really worked. As is, it's an occasionally successful, strongly acted (Harris is, as usual, the film's real star) picture.

Monthly Wesley AwardBest Supporting Actor- Ed Harris

A couple of the scenes work in the way that a quick youtube video does (semi-thrilling to see history repeated), but I Saw the Light adds very little Williams' legacy. Hiddleston is okay in the lead role; he nails the look and sound of Williams, but fails to convince us of the man's hard-lived life. It is, more or less, Walk the Line without the conviction.

Criminal is the worst type of bad movie; one that squanders a strong premise. Nothing happens in this movie that matters, a damp squib of a film that take both a good premise and cast a pits them in a duller-than-average action flick.

Monthly Wesley AwardWorst Picture