Film Gate Reviews: October 2014

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Romantic drama that's running on empty.

The Heart Machine is a romantic drama thriller. One that is entirely driven by one thought; one part of a plot where characters are minimal and supporting characters and storylines are nonexistent. Cody (John Gallagher Jr.) is an awkward love-struck man in Brooklyn who’s in a long-distance relationship. Virginia (Kate Lyn Sheil) is his Skype girlfriend living in Berlin. Or so she says. She might be lying and Cody’s starting to suspect that she’s actually in New York.		2014 Directed by: Zachary Wigon Screenplay by: Zachary Wigon Starring: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Lyn Sheil

Predictability outweighs the comedy and drama of “St. Vincent”.

St. Vincent stars Bill Murray as Vincent, a man who on the surface appears to be anything but a saint. He spends his days drinking and gambling and grumbling throughout life. But it’s fair to say that there’s more to him than meets the eye and the son of his next door neighbor starts to see Vincent as a real-life, everyday saint. It’s an uplifting story with plenty of humour and drama alike, and it’s also tediously predictable.		2014 Directed by: Theodore Melfi Screenplay by: Theodore Melfi Starring: Bill Murray, Jaeden Lieberher and Melissa McCarthy

Stuck with characters, dialogue and comedy that all work.

#Stuck starts the morning after a one night stand for Guy (Joel David Moore) and Holly (Madeline Zima), and as one of the lines in the film points out, it’s called the morning after for a reason. Holly is stuck without a car, Guy graciously agrees to drive her back to the bar where they met, and on the way there they get stuck in traffic. The film is about their non-relationship as they are forced to spend approximately one hour in Guy’s car in LA traffic.		2014 Directed by: Stuart Acher Screenplay by: Stuart Acher Starring: Madeline Zima, Joel David Moore

The worst of Nicholas Sparks.

Ten years ago, Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook (2004) was released. Its long simmering success has made “the Nicholas Sparks romantic drama” its own brand, helped launch the careers of Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, and it’s a frequent punch-line in popular movies and shows. It also starred James Marsden in a small role as the man McAdams’ was supposed to marry. This year’s The Best of Me owes a lot to its predecessor, and not just its leading man.		2014 Directed by: Michael Hoffman Screenplay by: J. Mills Goodloe, Will Fetters Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks Starring: James Marsden, Luke Bracey, Michelle Monaghan and Liana Liberato

A wild ride but couldn't put a story together.

Stretch starts with a drunk, coked-out gambling addict getting launched through a car window and then before he lands on the pavement, meets a girl and falls in love. And then the movie just gets crazier after that. The lead character, who calls himself Stretch, gets a job as a limo driver after hitting what he perceives as rock bottom, and then getting clean, getting sober and intending to pay back gambling debts.		2014 Directed by: Joe Carnahan Screenplay by: Joe Carnahan Starring: Patrick Wilson, Jessica Alba

A stoic drama about fathers, sons and murder.

Robert Duvall is the titular judge. He’s a hardened man who has worked 42 years as a judge in the small town of Carlinville, Indiana. Robert Downey Jr. plays the cynical and successful lawyer son who left for the big city of Chicago, Illinois. The Judge focuses on their relationship when the prodigal son returns home for the funeral of his mother. The movie then steps up its game when it also becomes a murder mystery.		2014 Directed by: David Dobkin Screenplay by: Nick Schenk, Bill Dubuque Starring: Robert Duvall, Robert Downey Jr.

A drama about the dangers of modern life failed to create engaging characters.

Men, Women & Children is Jason Reitman’s newest film and yet he has descended even further from the heights of Thank You for Smoking, Juno and Up in the Air. In this drama, he explores the effects the online world has on human relationships and sex in modern times. It’s a concept that has been covered and will be covered countless more times. But it’s a lackluster affair despite the star-studded cast because the characters are all so unappealing.		2014 Directed by: Jason Reitman Screenplay by: Jason Reitman, Erin Cressida Wilson; Based on the novel by Chad Kultgen Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer and Ansel Elgort

Implores you to not take appearances at face value as the characters cut a dark tale of marriage.

The titular gone girl is Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), wife of Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) and he’s the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. Not just because it’s always the husband, but also because their marriage is failing, she’s kept a diary detailing all the horrible things he’s done and all clues lead back to him. The great thing about Gone Girl the thriller is that these clues aren’t meant to deceive but to lead the audience. It’s simply a story of what happened, but with twists aplenty.		2014 Directed by: David Fincher Screenplay by: Gillian Flynn Based on novel by Gillian Flynn Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike

Establishing selfishness before their more interesting layers, the despondent skeleton twins are more lifeless than they should be.

In a movie marketed as a comedy, stars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig should have no problem carrying it no matter what kind of difficulties the film may have. But The Skeleton Twins is not a comedy. It’s a very sullen drama that throws in a few scenes of comedy either because Hader and Wiig deserve the chance to make the audience laugh, or because the film wanted to prove how edgy they can be.		2014 Directed by: Craig Johnson Screenplay by: Mark Heyman, and Craig Johnson Starring: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig