Killer Joe

Killer Joe

Drama (Thriller)

2011

Rated: R

Running Time: 102 minutes

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Matthew McConaughey, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon.

Directed By: William Friedkin

Rating: 7 out of 10

Outline

A man hires a contract killer so he can claim the insurance money from the hit.

Review

I used to hate him but like a single malt Scotch, Matthew McConaughey is only getting better with age. Maybe he is picking better roles? Maybe he is keeping his shirt on and is staying out of the sun? Whatever the case, he is delivering better and better movies as time goes by. Killer Joe is the story of Chris Smith. A debt has put his life in danger, and so he hires Killer Joe to murder his mother in order to collect a large insurance pay out.

Red necks and dysfunction usually go hand in hand, and those two things are captured perfectly in this movie. The film starts out and we see Chris as he is stressing about a rather large debt that he has incurred while selling drugs. It doesn’t take a shot of his step mom pulling off a Julianne Moore classic (shirt but no bottoms) to know that these people are hicks. Chris needs money and he needs it fast. With the help of his dad, they hatch a scheme to make everyone rich (well, rich for them). It involves a murder plot and a large insurance payout. The only problem is they don’t have the stones to do it themselves. Enter Killer Joe. He is a smooth killer for hire, and he oozes confidence. I liked the first half of the movie for various reasons. I liked the bleakness of the poor trailer park existence. I liked the unique and unhealthy relationships between virtually every character that is presented. I liked the desperateness caused by owing powerful men a relatively small amount of money. And I liked that the film traverses a dark line with no clear trajectory. Not much happens, other than uneducated conversations and uneducated decisions, but it completely held my attention.

The acting/characters are really what make this film as good as it is. Without all these great performances, the movie would have clearly been lacking. Chris Smith is played by Emile Hirsch. He is one of these actors that doesn't get enough credit in my mind, but he does a great job in guiding this film to where it needed to be. He is the so called brains of the operation, and it is up to him to make the tough decisions. He is very much the adult, as his dad is just a simple man living a simple existence. His dad is played by Thomas Haden Church. His performance reminded me of an R Rated Lowell, from Wings. He was simple but thoughtful when he needs to be. I haven’t seen Gina Gershon in many a year but she nailed the middle age, bitchy step mom character. She was equal parts trashy to unclassy. Juno Temple plays Chris’s younger sister (Dottie.) She is a pretty girl with obvious mental health issues as she spouts random nonsense from time to time (Apparently, Temple was up for Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies, and if you watch this then you will see why.) Temple is one to watch as she was fantastic in her oddball way. Lastly, there is Killer Joe played by Matthew McConaughey. This was an interesting role for McConaughey but he steals the show. He is quiet, but his actions speak volumes. He is polite, but is also unsettling. He is charming, but also professionally cool. He is engaging, but also borderline sociopathic. It is a shame he wasn’t recognized by the Academy for this film as he was excellent.

 Obviously things don’t run smoothly or this wouldn’t be much of a film. As Killer Joe prepares to pull off the job, questions start to pop up about his intentions. What should have been a quick and easy operation starts to see many issues arising. Chris is running out of time to pay back the debt and he doesn’t fully trust Killer Joe. Killer Joe doesn’t seem to be focusing on the task at hand and seems more intent on romancing Dottie. The rest of the family has vested interests but stays in the background while letting the crime play out. Money can tear the closest family apart so imagine what it can do when they all hate each other? As the film comes to an end, I was truly surprised at how much I liked this when there are so many lowlife characters. In conclusion, this film is raw, gritty, and at times can be excessively violent. The conversations and the formed relationships will keep you captivated at all times. The planned murder and money problems seem like after thoughts as you watch these degenerates try to function within normal society. This movie flew under most people’s radars but should not be missed as it is dark, quirky, and can even be humorous at times (In a dark way.)

Director William Friedkin takes a Tracy Letts screenplay and delivers a solid film. Friedkin has been doing this for a long time, so the film has very little wasted screen time. He lets the actors own their characters/scenes and the viewers are rewarded for his faith. This film could easily have been mired in a depressing state, but he presents the dysfunction in an entertaining way. This is a great shot film that will ultimately get little recognition, which is a shame.

I give this movie a recommendation but especially to those people looking for something outside of the mainstream, and who appreciate great acting.

T Factor + If you like quirky/strange films then this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you don’t not like Matthew McConaughey as an actor then this could score lower on the rating scale.

IF you liked this film reel recommendations: Bug, Very Bad Things. 

The Guilt Trip

The Guilt Trip

2012

Comedy: PG-13

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 95 minutes

Starring: Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen

Directed By: Anne Fletcher

Rating: 2 out of 10

Outline

A man and his mother go on a road trip across the States.

Review

I never thought I would find another character that was more annoying than Marcia Gay Harden’s from The Mist. Please stand up and take a bow Barbra Streisand, as you now have that dubious achievement to accept. The Guilt Trip is the story of Andy Brewster. He is going on a cross country road trip to sell a cleaning supply that he has invented. His mother travels with him to keep him company.

If you go into this thinking that this a comedy, then you are going to be greatly disappointed. However, if you go into this thinking that it is a touching drama, well, you will still be greatly disappointed. The film starts out and we meet Andy as he tries to peddle his eco-friendly cleaning supply. He is kind of geeky and a little bit awkward, but a guy who is easy to watch. We are then introduced to his mother (Joyce) through hundreds of obnoxious voice mails that she leaves on Andy’s phone. This doesn’t bode well for the film as I instantly hated Joyce from these messages. Wait until you actually get to meet her though, as you are truly up for something special. After some tedious conversations between Andy and his mother, they head out for one of the most depressing road trip movies that I can ever recall. The first half of the movie can be summed up thusly, JOYCE IS UBER ANNOYING! She doesn’t shut the F up for the entire film. “Why are you single? I have a coupon. Are you drinking lots water? I have a book on tape. Why are you single? Are you drinking lots of water? We don’t need an SUV. We can share a room. Why are you single? Are you drinking lots of water? Your hair is messy.” This pithy dialogue goes on and on and on. Maybe I am being so harsh on this film because I don’t believe in unconditional love when it comes to family. If I don’t like you, I simply won’t talk to you even if we are related. I am more inclined to believe that this film is simply awful. I cannot believe someone can relate to this film because Joyce is easily the most overbearing mother ever. If you can relate to this film then I just feel sorry for you, truly I do.

Andy is played by Seth Rogen. Why would he even do this sort of film? I am not sure if Rogen lost a bet or if he owed someone a favor, but he just seems lost in this. It is not just him being unfunny; he doesn’t look like he wants to even be on screen. Barbra Streisand plays Joyce. All I will say is she is the worst character ever. She played it well, but I simply loathed everything about her. Not only did I care less if Andy and Joyce bonded on this trip, I wanted them to get into a horrendous car crash so Joyce would stop talking. Truly awful characters played with little thought to pleasing the viewer.

As the film carries on it never really gets any better. Andy meets with various buyers from different companies as they cross the states. Of course, Joyce is always there telling Andy what to do, how to sell, and what to wear. When Andy is not trying to sell his invented cleaning supply, they are going to random venues and getting into trouble together. Joyce drinks, gambles, gorges herself on food, and keeps offering her 2 cents worth. Andy sleeps, worries about money, and practices his selling techniques. No matter what the scenario, the film just feels wrong. A surprising heartfelt ending is not enough to save this film as it was too little and WAY too late. In conclusion, I smiled a couple of times but never laughed. Barbra Streisand’s character was so repugnant to me that this film could not have worked with her in it. The road trip scenario has been done dozens of times on film, and this may be the worst of the bunch. This film was wretched from the start, and to the people who say this film is touching, you are wrong.

Director Anne Fletcher put together a film that is truly perplexing. If this is supposed to be comedy, then this is the weakest form of humor there is. If this is supposed to be a drama, then the characters are so repulsive that it is impossible to buy into. Stupid scenarios and an overall tone of depression makes this film impossible to enjoy. When you make a film and Seth Rogen cannot make me laugh, then you know you have failed.

I cannot recommend this film and please don’t let anyone guilt you into seeing it.

T Factor + If you like your comedies without crass or vulgar humor then this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you do not like Barbra Streisand then this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Identity Thief, Parental Guidance.

Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies

Zombie (Comedy, Romantic)

2013

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 98 minutes

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, and John Malkovich.

Directed By: Jonathan Levine

Rating: 5 out of 10

Outline

The world is in the state of a zombie apocalypse. An unusual zombie starts to regain some human traits that could change the course of humanity.

Review

My zombie mind is telling me noooooooooooo…..but my zombie body…...my zombie boddddy’s telling me yessssssss. Warm Bodies is the story of a world in a state of zombie apocalypse. We follow the life (or undead life) of a zombie named R. He is a zombie just looking for his next meal of human flesh and brains. That is until he sees a human girl (Julia) which sets off a course of events that will change the fate of the world.

The premise of this movie is pretty cool. While there are many books detailing the zombie’s perspective, there are relatively few movies that show the zombies point of view. We start off the film by having the zombie R, detailing his daily routine. He grunts and shuffles his way around an airport terminal. He tells the viewer about his zombie friends, what he likes to do on a daily basis, and zombie tendencies. It is an entertaining opening as R is not your typical zombie. He has his own place where he likes to chill. He has a record player that he likes to listen to 80’s music on. He even likes to have grunting conversations with his best friend (another zombie.) Zombie life is all he knows, but hunger is always his strongest imperative. So, R and bunch of his zombie pals have to head into the city for some light, human flesh snacking from time to time. On one of these flesh devouring excursions, he meets the human girl of his dreams (cue Roxette’s, It Must Have Been Love.) This human (Julia) is strong, she is determined, and she is beautiful. Her presence is so powerful that she even restarts R’s long stopped heart. Circumstances see the two of them having to hang out together and this is where the movie is at its best. Julia’s repulsion quickly turns to interest as R is clearly different. With the restarting of his heart, R starts to regain some of his humanity and the two of them are entered into a tenuous friendship. The awkward relationship between a human and a zombie is lighthearted and fun to witness. He is creepy and socially awkward; she is guarded and justifiably scared. The two of them are forced to bond and learn about each other through a weird courtship.

Nicholas Hoult plays the zombie, called R. He is perfect for the role, as Hoult is a strange looking dude in real life. I found him easy to follow and even to root for when times are tough. Julia is played by Teresa Palmer. I found her to be a little distracting as her acting skill and look reminded me too much of Kristen Stewart. Palmer may have a little more emotional range than Stewart, but they are almost twinsies. It was off putting. Holt and Palmer develop a solid chemistry, and although a budding romance between a zombie and a human should be perverse, these two make it work. John Malkovich, Dave Franco, and Rob Corddry have small supporting roles if you are fans of theirs.

Love is a powerful emotion, and it is about to change the fate of the world. R and Julia’s relationship causes a chain reaction of zombies starting to become human again. But when you have fought zombies for as long as you can remember, most of the humans are going to be resistant to the change. There are also zombies that are so far gone that they are sadistic animals (called Boneys.) So as you can expect, the humans, human zombies, and the Boneys, all fight for their respective rights and territory. So, will love win out? Or will the world fall into zombie chaos? In Conclusion, I liked the story told from the zombie perspective, and I liked the originality of some of the zombies wanting to better themselves. The film was always fun and very easy to watch. The negatives were that I thought the film was a little cheesy/juvenile for my tastes. The zombie humans were not the best to look at, and the Boneys were a fail as they were computer generated (also known as I Am Legending the zombies.)This genre also needs blood to survive, and so although this is entertaining, it never hit the right blend of love story to gore for my tastes.

I think that director Jonathan Levine did a great job with this film. While it wasn’t a success in my eyes, I have the feeling it will hit the right chords with the younger peeps. He tones back the scariness on the zombie look to make this viable for the younger crowd. The impossible love story between a zombie and a human is neat twist and the film does have a few laughs. Most noticeably a zombie saying, “holy shit.”

I cannot recommend this movie, but it does have its touching zombie moments.

T Factor + If you are a huge fan of the zombie genre then this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you do not like computer animated zombies then this could score lower on the rating scale.

IF you liked this film reel recommendations: Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland.