"Yes ladies, he is single."
I actually got a bigger and better vibe off of this than "Toy Story 3." I mean, I know TS3 was great, but I just happened to find Gru and his adopted daughters a heck of a lot more enjoyable. "Despicable Me" is a cute little caper with the added benefit of being an original story — a huge concern for me and multiplexes right now. Yeah it's sweeter than Sunkist and as predictable as any other kids film, but "Me" mostly makes up for contrivances with its sincerity and silliness. In brief summation, Gru (Steve Carrell) is a Blofeld-ian super villain looking to shrink and steal the moon. But then he adopts three little girls, initially to spy on his arch-nemesis, only to predictably fall in love with the little scamps. As always, Carrell is affable and entertaining as the voice of Gru, complete with his hybrid Bela Lugosi/Ricardo Montalban accent and array of gadgets. The look is very European, yet rooted in Ken Adams' crazy designs from the 1960s Bond films, giving "Me" just enough individuality among animated films to make it look real pretty. From Gru's broad shoulders and pointed nose, to the film's spiffy and angular sets and props, "Me" has a look worth noting. And, oddly enough, the soundtrack — specifically Pharrell's contributions — is really a nice touch, devoid of obvious executive intervention/hackery, insisting on "hip" or "catchy" music to make things more marketable.
Oh, and the minions are awesome. They have "South Park" teeth. You'll see.
In the end, I really dug Gru, the girls, and of course, his Corn Pop-looking minions. Check it out.
"Staring contest. You and me."
Admittedly, I'm not big on the mumblecore movie scene and its pseudo-stars, Mark and Jay Duplass. I mean, they're all from Chicago, and admirably hold up the flag for indie spirit. Spontaneous, micro-budget movies totally deserve a shot. But it's like my brother said: "These movies could totally benefit from being around less hip, white people." I think he's kinda right. I mean, if you don't find "Hannah Takes the Stairs" or Greta Gerwig annoying, then I might have a beef with you.
But ... good news everyone! Mumblecore has gone mainstream, and it totally benefits from good stars, little folk music and a clear premise. "Cyrus" is an enjoyably hippy-dippy affair about a modern Oedipus, his mom, and the other dude that digs her.
Quickly, you know the premise, but in the end, it's a near-improvisational film that belongs to its leads, Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly. Hill, is two for two this summer, making himself a likable lead in "Get Him to the Greek," and now he shows that he can act. He's Marisa Tomei's son, in his early 20's, and incapable of moving out or giving his mom's new boyfriend a chance. His with small facial features surrounded by perpetual baby-fat, Hill evokes a fascinatingly creepy mama's boy in the titular role of Cyrus. And the weirdest thing, is that he's quite funny. Wait for the scene with the butcher knife and the night shirt. Hill's physique was made for that moment.
But, let's not ignore the amazingly affable John C. Reilly as an L.A. editor names ... John. Sure, he's probably playing some variation on himself, but boy has he become a believable everyone. He's ugly, but sincere, and all the better off as a character for it. And when John and Cyrus get together, the movie kicks ass.
In the end, the story maintains your interest, and you fall smitten by the two strong leads. Even if "Cyrus" is a little too indie.
"Awkward family portrait time!"
I'm probably not the best person to objectively review "Dogtooth." Having lived at home for the last several months — with parents — the thought of watching a movie about psychological, parental control over uber-sheltered children might make me shudder. A lot.
But, as it just so happens, "Dogtooth" is also just a bat-shit-crazy movie from Greece about incest, control, violence, communication, coming of age, and domestic life. At times beautifully serene, and at others harrowingly icky, "Dogtooth" is probably the most uncompromising and unique film I've seen so far this year. With the shock of a David Lynch film, and the melodramatic control of Cassavetes, "Dogtooth" is really something to check out.
In short, a family — mother, father, two teen daughters, one 20-ish son — lives in a seclusion in a large home in the middle of nowhere. The children are not allowed to leave, ever, and are taught some dyslexic form of Greek language. Like "Zombie" is a word used for flowers, and the "Sea" is an armchair. I dunno. Oh, and the father brings home a worker from his factory to sexually please the son, in the most graphic, frank and disconcerting ways possible. Trust me, it's just creepy. But once sexuality is introduced to the children in the form of licking, the house and its family begins to self-destruct.
We'll stop from there, as I'm gonna have to insist you see this sucker. It's graphic and at times really gross. But, it's also dryly humorous, completely open to interpretation, and pretty darn unique. I mean, where else are you going to find a shocking sex scene that ends with quotations from "Rocky V?" Weird stuff.
That, and I love it when a film courts controversial subject matter.
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