Starring: Blake Jenner (Glee) and Tyler Hoechlin (Hall Pass)
Director: Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused)
U.S. Release: April 8th, 2016 (Rated R)
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 116 minutes
Richard Linklater is a bit of a chameleon director. His filmography boasts an assortment of movies which, on the surface, appear to have no link whatsoever. Yet, when you dig deeper into the content of films such as Boyhood, Dazed and Confused and the Before Sunrise trilogy, they all share a common theme of self discovery. And the same can be said for Linklater's latest comedic endeavor, Everybody Wants Some!!.
Set throughout a Texas college in 1980, the film follows a new class of freshman baseball recruits who arrive to campus and meet their rowdy elder teammates a few days before classes begin. Pitching prospect, Jake (Blake Jenner), and his meat-head catcher, Plummer (Temple Baker), blindly follow the wisdom of their upperclassman teammate, Finn (Glen Powell), as they come face to face with newfound freedoms and adult responsibilities.
One of Richard Linklater's finest qualities as a filmmaker is his ability to capture moments. Much liked his influential cult classic, Dazed and Confused, this 80s centric comedy beautifully ushers its characters from uninhibited youthful independence to the early seeds of adulthood. Everybody Wants Some!! succeeds on the shoulders of subtly insightful scenes that are peppered with outrageous laughs and tender moments. Lead actor, Blake Jenner, delivers an endearing role that in no way steals the show. Instead, Linklater relies on a spanning cast of animated characters that each contribute key elements to the greater good. Supporting stars Temple Baker, who shines in a debut performance, and Glen Powell each handle their prominent roles with natural ease. An exceptional cast, solid soundtrack and energetic pace help make Everybody Wants Some!! a memorable experience.
While Richard Linklater's newest entry will understandably be compared against his beloved title, Dazed and Confused, it's important to recognize that Everybody Wants Some!! is mildly derivative of the previous work. 22 Jump Street's Wyatt Russell serves as a stand-in of sorts for Matthew McConaughey's classic Wooderson character. The similarities extend far beyond their physical resemblances, mainly Willoughby's prophetic preaching to ignore society's rules and to embrace your inner goofball. In addition to the comparable aspects of Linklater's two films, Everybody Wants Some!! suffers from an aimless story. It's a bit of a catch 22, but the director's passion for capturing key moments, in lieu of telling a cohesive story, ultimately weakens the film from a larger scope.
Despite the film's shortcomings, its appealing vibe and infectious energy are enough to sway the audience. I'm not envisioning a generational classic, but Everybody Wants Some!! is an affable winner in its own right. Considering it's only April, Linklater's latest is one of the better options worth enjoying early in 2016.
I mentioned recently how excellent the DVD and rental selection have been the past few months and I wasn't exaggerating (March's suggestions). By comparison, April really only offers two quality selections that I can vouch for myself. In conjunction with my recommendations below, I suggest scouring last month's and February's crop of titles as well,
After taking home Best Picture and Best Director honors two years ago for Birdman, director Alejandro Inarritu was very close to repeating both awards with The Revenant. Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar winning performance is equally matched by supporting star, Tom Hardy, in the vengeful real-life story of frontiersman, Hugh Glass. The Revenant represents a premiere example of exceptional direction, one that reaffirms Inarritu's undeniable superiority to all of his contemporaries. Despite its relentless violent tone, The Revenant truly stands of one of this past year's finest films. (April 19th)
After a less than effective prequel trilogy around the turn of the millennium in 2000, all eyes shifted to J.J. Abrams in 2015. This respectful visionary appropriately handled a re-introduction to the Star Trek franchise in 2009, but it's a different ballgame when we're talking about the most iconic science fiction series of all-time. It wasn't without a few blemishes, but a large majority of audience, myself included, were more than pleased with Abrams' box-office smash, The Force Awakens. Set once again in a galaxy far, far away, Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) biological son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), has become the most menacing figure of the First Order, and it's up to a fugitive stormtrooper (John Boyega) and a poor scavenger named Rey (Daisy Ridley) to combat these emerging evil forces. The Force Awakens uses a similar story structure and familiar characters to transition audiences from the original Star Wars into a whole new saga. And, with J.J. Abrams calling the shots, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. (April 5th)
Honorable Mention: With the majority of 2015's power hitters making their way to DVD and Blu-Ray in February and March, this month is flooded with slim pickings. Outside of my two main recommendations above, a pair of mediocre titles I watched include the British comedy, The Lady in the Van(4/19), and the holiday horror film, Krampus (4/26). I can't speak for the entry myself, but the spoof comedy, 50 Shades of Black (4/19), also arrives in April. Finally, the Oscar-nominated foreign feature, Son of Saul (4/26), boasts an intriguing Nazi concentration camp premise as well.
Comedy guru, Todd Phillips (The Hangover franchise), brings a crazy true story to the big screen with this Summer's War Dogs. Jonah Hill and Miles Teller star as a pair of young men who win a $300 million contract from the U.S. government in order to provide weapons for American allies fighting in Afghanistan. You can never count out a Todd Phillips comedy, so perhaps War Dogs will emerge as the summer's biggest comedy blockbuster this August.
Longtime drama director, Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman), apparently has a love for the interweaving story landscape. His previous pair of efforts, New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day, followed the same approach as his upcoming holiday film, Mother's Day. Once again, intertwined stories of different women collide on the famous holiday. With Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Kate Hudson, Timothy Olyphant and many others filling out the cast, hopefully Marshall can recapture the success from early in his career. Check out the second trailer for Mother's Day below.
The long and often impatient wait has ended. Zack Snyder's daring attempt at bridging the two iconic universes belonging to DC Comics legends, Batman and Superman, officially opened to audiences this week and all of my reservations proved warranted. Not only is Dawn of Justice a muddled and overly ambitious cornerstone to the seemingly doomed DC universe, the film fails terribly at being the antithesis of its Marvel rival.
Following Superman's (Henry Cavill) colossal destruction of Metropolis during his fight with General Zod, the devastating effects linger into the mind of Gotham's caped crusader (Ben Affleck). Fearful of Superman's almighty power to rule planet Earth if he so desired, Batman must take matters into his own hands. And while these gladiators settle their own differences, the maniacal madman, Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg), summons a villainous creation of his own.
Let me preface by stating that I am by no means a Marvel loyalist. I'd considered myself a marginal fan of the widely stretched universe in which it continues to create. However, my deepest affinity for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy gave me a rooting interest for Snyder's new vision of the Batman legacy. Unfortunately, Dawn of Justice substitutes an obsessive amount of CGI and visual effects for a cohesive storyline. The result is a jumbled entry that fails to get a worthwhile performances out of any of its lead actors. Dawn of Justice packs far too many ideas into an already difficult premise of linking together DC's two most recognizable superheroes. Any hope of a resurgence will have to come from the intriguing super villain film, Suicide Squad, which opens this August.
Stars: 1 and a half out of 4
Grade: C-
Perhaps best known for his role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise, the late Alan Rickman's prestigious acting career goes well beyond this universal series. Rickman's untimely passing in January has placed a fair amount of attention on his final motion picture performance in Gavin Hood's wartime drama, Eye in the Sky.
With the United States' and Britain's number two, four and five most wanted terrorists all under the same roof in Kenya, Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren) seeks the approval of her general (Alan Rickman) and government officials to allow their U.S. drone pilot (Aaron Paul) to fire on the building. Yet, once a young Kenyan girl sets up a bread-selling stand within the collateral damage of the missile target, the situation grows far more complicated for everyone involved.
Eye in the Sky is a wonderfully executed film which takes a straight-forward premise and turns it into something much greater. Gavin Hood and company create a tense experience that's complemented well by fine moments of levity, usually brought on by Rickman's natural comedic touch. Helen Mirren delivers an exceptional performance, yet again, and shows quite a bit of range in her stern military role. Eye in the Sky tackles the controversial aspects of modern drone warfare and offer a worthwhile glance into the future of counter-terrorism.
I haven't been keeping as up to date on things as I'd like, so in an effort to make up for lost time here's a joint look into the new DVD releases from both February and March. Usually handled in a monthly installment, missing February has forced me to play a little catch up (January's recommendations). And since there's no shortage of Oscar contenders arriving on DVD these past two months, I'm going to offer my top 8 movie selections for February and March.
Lenny Abrahamson's Best Picture nominee, Room, is an emotional conquest that possesses 2015's finest performance. The well-deserved Best Actress Oscar winner, Brie Larson, is an absolute marvel. Her deep-rooted portrayal of an imprisoned sex slave and mother who's forced to raise her child in a 10 foot by 10 foot shed is as gut-wrenching as it sounds. But equally as amazing is her character's second half of the film where she has to come to terms with the choices she made while raising her son. It's introspective and moving on so many levels. Room is one of 2015's most powerful films and it's clearly a must-see. (March 1st)
There are plenty of reasons why Tom McCarthy's gripping true story, Spotlight, won the Oscar for Best Picture just last month. On top of an excellent screenplay the film's cast offers one of 2015's finest ensembles. There are no shortage of spectacular moments from onscreen talents such as Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci and many more. Spotlight examines the hard-nosed investigation performed by The Boston Globe's reporting team into sexual abuse allegations and an eventual cover-up by the Catholic Church. Spotlight is a well-paced and riveting film and that's worthy of its Best Picture title. (February 23rd)
2015's most memorable romance is the adapted crowd-pleaser from John Crowley, Brooklyn. Best Actress Nominee, and perhaps a winner on any other year, Saoirse Ronan gives an earnest turn as Eilis Lacey, a young Irish woman who journeys to Brooklyn in the 1950s in hopes of a better life. But as home-sickness begins to stir up second thoughts, an emotional romance with an Italian plumber named Tony (Emory Cohen) helps her find happiness thousands of miles from her family. Despite an obviously rushed third act that's intended to generate more controversy than it manages to, Brooklyn wins over its audience with passionate and endearing characters that leave a lasting impression. (March 15th)
Writer and director Quentin Tarantino's latest linguistic masterpiece, The Hateful Eight, blends together a Western-style backdrop with the filmmaker's unique storytelling. Kurt Russell stars as "The Hangman", a bounty hunter transporting a wanted criminal, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), to be hung in a nearby city. But when blizzard conditions forces them to take shelter in a store for the evening with a mysterious collection of strangers, "The Hangman" must see to it that he and his prisoner escape the night alive. A natural comparison will be made between The Hateful Eight and Tarantino's other most recent work and Western, Django Unchained. And although this latest entry is a tiny step below its predecessor, make no mistake about it that The Hateful Eight stands very well all on its own. (March 29th)
The Academy Awards' Best Picture race came down to a trio of mighty competitors. Mentioned above was the eventual winner, Spotlight, and one of the other heavy hitters was Adam McKay's true story comedy of sorts, The Big Short. Spanning from 2005 through the eventual 2008 housing crisis that devastated this country, McKay's film examines a select few who had the foresight to see this inevitable economic disaster. Christian Bale rightfully earned an Oscar nomination and other strong performances were turned in by Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and many more. Perhaps the greatest aspect of The Big Short was the film's ability to put a more entertaining and comedic twist on an otherwise intimidating and wordy industry.
Andrew Garfield delivers what may be a career best performance in Ramin Bahrani's hard-hitting drama, 99 Homes. Similar to The Big Short, this film addresses a more personal representation of the horrors that surrounded the housing market collapse in 2008. After a recently unemployed father (Garfield) loses his family's home in a foreclosure, he must sell his soul to the same crooked real estate broker (Michael Shannon) who evicted him. What begins as a saddening examination culminates in a tense and gripping finale that's beautifully executed. The Big Short garnered an enormous amount of acclaim but, in all honesty, 99 Homes stands right up there with it. (February 9th)
Steven Spielberg's latest Best Picture Nominee, Bridge of Spies, marks a triumphant return for leading star Tom Hanks, who missed out on a nomination himself, as well as the emergence of a new star, Best Supporting Actor winner Mark Rylance. During the height of the Cold War a Russian spy (Rylance) is captured by the U.S. Government and ordered to stand trial. Meanwhile, an American pilot is forced to eject from his plane and becomes seized by the Russians. An insurance lawyer (Hanks) is handed the difficult task of negotiating a swap between these two hostile nations. Spielberg always swings for the fences and, although Bridge of Spies falls short of being a home run, the films represents a solid line drive double in the gap. (February 2nd)
I've been pretty clear in labeling Danny Boyle as my favorite director. I love his colorful style and phenomenal use of music to tell imaginative stories. But while his most recent endeavor, the biopic Steve Jobs, fell short of my expectations, it still represents a solid film in its own right. The uniquely structured screenplay examines the controversial and iconic technological visionary at three specific product launches throughout his career. Aaron Sorkin's dialogue heavy script delivers plenty of fantastic one-liners and Michael Fassbender offers a brilliant portrayal, but the overall effect leaves something to be desired. Danny Boyle always has a way of generating such an explosive and unforgettable finale in almost all of his works, but Steve Jobs never packs an impactful punch like it should. (February 16th)
Honorable Mention: The latest James Bond film, Spectre (2/9), is available as well as critically adored options such as Creed (3/1) and Black Mass (2/16). I wasn't as big of a fan of those two films but I found modest enjoyment in other marketed titles such as Concussion (3/29), The Night Before (3/1) and the Tina Fey & Amy Poehler comedy, Sisters (3/15). A trio of Oscar contenders I'd suggest staying away from are Trumbo (2/16), The Danish Girl (3/1) & Carol (3/15), as well as Ron Howard's special effects letdown, In the Heart of the Sea (3/8).
Another summer blockbuster unveiled a new-look and more detailed trailer. David Yates' The Legend of Tarzan shows what you can expect from this adapted classic tale. Alexander Skarsgard stars as the title character who returns to the jungle in order to stop a destructive mining project. With the always brilliant Academy Award winner, Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), and Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) set to co-star, check out the latest trailer for The Legend of Tarzan below.
Horror fans have an imaginative new anthology to get excited about in 2016. With director Kevin Smith headlining a long list of filmmakers, Holidays puts a dark twist on stories revolving around society's most treasured days of the year. With a genre unapologetically polluted by sequels and re-brandings, it's a sigh of relief to have a fresh new idea to look forward to. Holidays arrives in select theaters on April 22nd so, in the meantime, scary movie lovers can enjoy the film's debut trailer below.
