Tag: Hannibal Buress

Movie Review – ‘The Disaster Artist’ – No Chickens Here

I know I’m super late on this one.

What can I say?  I had a pretty significant stretch of busyness/sickness/holidays.

I’m sure you understand.

Directed by James Franco

Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, based on the book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell

Cast: Dave Franco, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Ari Graynor, Alison Brie, Jacki Weaver, Paul Scheer, Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson, June Diane Raphael, Megan Mullally, Jason Mantzoukas, Andrew Santino, Nathan Fielder, Joe Mande, Sharon Stone, John Early, Melanie Griffith, Hannibal Buress, Charlyne Yi, Sugar Lyn Beard, Bob Odenkirk, Randall Park, Casey Wilson, Jerrod Carmichael, Tom Franco, Zoey Deutch

Soundtrack: Dave Porter

Tommy Wiseau, writer, director, producer, and star of The Room, isn’t the first filmmaker in history to make a movie dubbed “The Worst of All Time” and then have a film made about his life and the making of said movie.

The natural juxtaposition of The Disaster Artist and The Room is with Ed Wood and Plan Nine From Outer Space, but the comparisons don’t run very deep.

Edward D. Wood Jr., though Z-grade, managed to get work done at the outer reaches of the studio system.

By contrast, Wiseau was a complete Hollywood outsider, whose origins and means were (and still very much are) shrouded in mystery.

Part of the genius of The Disaster Artist is that it introduces three questions about Tommy that we all have (Where is he from?  How old is he?  Where does the money come from?), and doesn’t answer them, yet we don’t feel unfulfilled.

Much of it comes down to James Franco’s performance as Wiseau himself.  He may not be the spitting image, but he boldly embodies the persona, and reportedly he was committed enough to stay in character even when directing (which actually makes sense to me in this case).  The chemistry he has with his brother Dave opposite him is helpful as well.

Beyond the Brothers Franco though, no one in the movie has a whole lot to do, but nobody stands out as doing a bad job, and the many cameos are fun to see.

If I have one criticism of the film, it’s that I found the message to be somewhat muddled.  On the one hand it makes the point to follow your dreams without fear, but then Tommy is also portrayed to be somewhat exploitative, so, I’m not entirely sure what to make if it.

Beyond that though, The Disaster Artist stands a a fitting tribute to a movie that deserves its cult status as a baffling opus.  It’s curious about what you’re curious about, and even though it’s largely a comedy, it’s not afraid to get dramatically uncomfortable at times, which I’m sure was the case in real life.

If you haven’t seen The Room already, The Disaster Artist is sure to pique your interest.  If you have already seen The Room, you likely won’t have the same experience as the uninitiated, but The Disaster Artist is still a fine investment.

Much like the Wright/Pegg/Frost films in relation to their subject matter, this movie is no parody, but rather a love letter, and one well worth reading.

Rating: ★★★★☆

P.S.
Stick around all the way to the end.  I won’t spoil anything, but this might have the best end-credits stinger in the history of end-credits stingers.

Movie Review – ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ – What Could Go Wrong?

Directed by Jon Watts

Written by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley (story and screenplay), Jon Watts & Christopher Ford (screenplay), and Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, based on the comic book by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau. Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Tyne Daly, Abraham Attah, Hannibal Buress, Kenneth Choi, Selenis Leyva, Angourie Rice, Isabella Amara, Martin Starr, Garcelle Beauvais, Michael Chernus, Michael Mando, Logan Marshall-Green, Jennifer Connelly (voice), Christopher Berry, Tunde Adebimpe, Tiffany Espensen, Chris Evans, Kerry Condon (voice), Andy Powers

Soundtrack: Michael Giacchino

Generally speaking, I like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and, based on a limited sample size, I think Jon Watts is a quality filmmaker.

From that alone, you’d think I’d have nothing but excitement for Spider-Man: Homecoming, but it’s unfortunately more complicated than that.  The fact that there are six credited screenwriters (more than any other MCU film) is a bit unnerving, but much bigger than that is the fifteen years of baggage.

Spider-Man as a cinematic property has a rather checkered history (to say the least) since the “original” Sam Raimi film in 2002 (which, frankly, is the only other Spider-Man movie I’d recommend outright).  That trilogy ended in disaster with the notoriously awful Spider-Man 3, and an attempt to reboot the character with another trilogy barely five years later was prematurely terminated with the equally disastrous Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.

What has happened in the meantime is somewhat mysterious, but, for whatever reason, Sony finally cried uncle and began leasing out its star IP to Marvel Studios for inclusion into the MCU, starting with 2016’s Civil War, and continuing at least through 2019.

This was cause for celebration among fans worldwide, but I’m slightly more cynical, because the fact that Sony still has [what I assume to be] a sizable stake in it makes me nervous.

However, much like with Baby Driver, my fears were quickly allayed once the actual movie started.

To say that Spider-Man: Homecoming is the best Spider-Man film ever made is like saying Jaws is the best killer shark movie.  It’s just that obvious (and, at first blush, I think it easily makes my top five MCU movies, if not top three).  This is not to say it’s entirely perfect, but, it does have have an actual plot, and characters, and action that’s in accordance with the story.  These things may seem trivial to point out, but given how many movies these days feature bare-bones frameworks to hang action upon (and then, on top of that, aren’t even fun), I do not take these elements lightly.

Also, boy oh boy is it refreshing to see a [non-sequel] superhero movie that isn’t an origin story, particularly for a character that’s had theirs told multiple times already (why D.C. feels it necessary to take us down Crime Alley incessantly, I’ll never know).

As far as the cast goes, it’s pleasantly jarring to see young actors in a high school movie who look like they really could be (if not actually are) in high school, Tom Holland naturally being the head of the class; he’s terrific in this (although I did rather enjoy Zendaya’s performance, even if she’s not in the movie nearly as much as expected).  In addition, you’ve got Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr. putting in quality shifts, as well as a colorful group of supporting characters (I’d say something about Marisa Tomei, but she just doesn’t get a lot of screen time, so there’s not much for me to comment on).

Most importantly though, the movie is simply a joy to watch.  It blends action and humor like few of its contemporaries, while still maintaining a genuine sense of weight.  Some of the high school stuff and some of the end action is a bit much for me, but, on the whole, I really have to hand it to Marvel.  Just when I think I’m about to begin tiring of them, they find another way to keep it fresh, in this case being able to successfully craft a smaller, more intimate story in an undoubtedly larger universe.

Spider-Man: Homecoming, for a comic book/superhero movie, is very much down to earth in the way that For Your Eyes Only is down to earth relative to other James Bond movies.  There’s a climactic ending, to be sure, but there are no blue lasers shooting up into the sky, and no vast terror plot to destroy humanity.

Truly, Homecoming is about our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Rating: ★★★★½ (out of five)

P.S.
It’s an MCU movie, so of course you’re not leaving during the credits (it’s totally worth it).

Shout out to Mondo for the sweet glassware once again.

Movie Review – ‘The Nice Guys’ – Hitsville U.S.A.

Directed by Shane Black
Written by Shane Black & Anthony Bagarozzi
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice, Kim Basinger, Margaret Qualley, Yaya DaCosta, Keith David, Beau Knapp, Matt Bomer, Daisy Tahan, Ty Simpkins, Hannibal Buress
Soundtrack: David Buckley and John Ottman

Even if you don’t know him by name, if you’re an action movie fan, you probably already love yourself some Shane Black.

From being one of the guys in Predator, to being the screenwriter of  Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3, and 4, to other odd jobs like directing Iron Man 3, Shane Black has always had a knack for blending action and humor.

Nowhere is this gift more apparent than in, dare I say, his magnum opus, The Nice Guys, which is, if you couldn’t tell already, a 1970s Los Angeles pulp detective story with more than a dash of comedy.

I expected this movie to have laughs.  I was not necessarily expecting it to be funnier than, say, Deadpool.  In fact, The Nice Guys is probably funnier than any marketed comedy you’ll see this year, but, don’t get it twisted, it’s still a killer detective story at heart that’s got fangs when needed.

The key to the whole thing, save for Black’s screenplay, is the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.  Both have comedic chops on their own, particularly Gosling, but together they’re absolute dyn-o-mite.  Throw in a brilliant young actress named Angourie Rice and you have a film that’s solid gold.  We don’t get too many private eye stories anymore (pretty much the whole reason why Shane Black wrote this), and I’m sure glad we now have this one, but I’m willing to bet this movie could have been about anything, and as long as you had that combo of Black, Crowe, and Gosling, it’d be a smash (having Keith David show up certainly doesn’t hurt either, because that guy rules).

Other than that I don’t feel the need to say too much more.  I anticipate The Nice Guys will be a Top 5 movie in 2016, and you definitely don’t want to miss out.

Go see it at your earliest convenience at your local moviehouse.

Rating: ★★★★½