The Lobster
The critics LOVED this film, ranking it in the top 5%. Audiences apparently really liked it too. Me, not so much. Unique? Yes. Original? Absolutely. Funny? Some folks thought it was hilarious! Me, occasionally in a perverse sort of way that would not be regarded as a compliment.
In some other world, single people must go to a pseudo re-education hotel where guests must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice. Guests can extend their stay by shooting rouge guests with a stun gun to “buy extra days”.
Yup! It goes downhill from there. The entire story is delivered a constant monotone by every single character who spoke. Call me madcap, but I did not get it. I found it tedious and annoying.
Great cast! Colin Farell, Rachel Weisz, and John Reilley. Let me know what you think if you see it.
Me Before You
This is a romantic drama where an inexperienced working class girl seeks employment as caregiver to wealthy young man paralyzed by an accident. What starts as a employee/employer relationship evolved into something personal, then more.
His bitterness and resentfulness are slowly replaced by the right balance of struggle and the joy of life. The banter between these characters is crisp and believable.
The acting is just right. Emilia Clarke plays the assistant Louisa (Lou) Clarke. Sam Claflin plays the quadriplegic William Traynor. The story is based on the best selling novel by Jo Jo Moyes titled the same as the film.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
This musical comedy mockumentary about a boy band, Conner4Real, and its front man, brilliantly play by Adam Samberg. The Band hits box office gold with the mega success of their first album. Boy Band makes good. Lead singer believes his own hype. Boy band crashes. Boy Band breaks up….
It sounds far fetched yet so familiar. Humm…how many groups come to mind?! What makes this movie work is it never stops. The pace is quick, so is the humor, goofy stuff and theatrics. Think Saturday Night Live on musical steroids. Some of the scenes are cliché but others are quite inventive. It is relentless and well crafted.
The last third really brings the story all together. There is soul searching and the healing of prides and egos. And…drumroll…a music awards appearance that brings everything together; including funny appearance by Mariah Carey.
It is probably not going to win any awards but it was an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.
Maggie’s Plan
This drama/comedy is about a 30 something New York single woman , Greta Gerwig as Maggie, who decides it is time to have a child without the help of anyone but a sperm doner, a bit part played by Travis Fimmel, as the local the pickle producer becomes National distributor.
Enter, Ethan Hawke’s character, John, as professor and his wife, Julianne Moore as the tenured Nordic scholar. Throw in eccentric neighbors, played by Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph and a you have a revolving love triangle involving three children.
The acting is what makes this film work. It’s not perfect and the premise is pretty flawed but in some respects, its not all that unlike the real world. (I’m just glad its not mine!)
The Julianne Moore character is the superstar, intelligent, witty, and driven. Her performance alone is worth the time and admission.
Thanks for the reviews. I want to see Popstar.