Film Gate Reviews: November 2014

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Comedy and romance and adults growing up.

Megan (Keira Knightley) is approaching 30, but doesn't seem to have her life figured out the way her friends do – but that's because her friends are naming their baby girl Juppiter and her boyfriend think it's okay to propose at her friend's wedding. In addition, her father's having an affair, and everybody's encouraging her to attend a career seminar where the most important part of professional success is figuring out what animal you are.		2014 Directed by: Lynn Shelton Screenplay by: Andrea Seigel Starring: Keira Knightley, Sam Rocwell, and Chloe Grace Moretz

The same funny employees plus more horrible bosses.

The boys are back and they're gonna be in trouble. Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) have decided to go into business for themselves and live the American dream. But their idealism goes up against a spoiled billionaire (Chris Pine) and a pompous multibillionaire (Christoph Waltz), father to the spoiled billionaire, and the results are hilarious. Horrible Bosses 2 has a hard task: make it just as funny without copying the original. For the most part, it succeeds.		2014 Directed by: Sean Anders Screenplay by: Sean Anders, John Morris Starring: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Chris Pine

The dramatic and turbulent life of Stephen Hawking.

Celebrated scientist Stephen Hawking is the subject of the weepy romantic drama biopic The Theory of Everything. In what is presumably a good choice for the film, as it attempts to appeal to everyone, it focuses on his personal life as opposed to his scientific life. Allowing Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones) to be just as important a character as Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne). The two young Brits give star-making performances as husband and wife.		2014 Directed by: James Marsh Screenplay by: Anthony McCarten Based on the book by Jane Hawking Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones

Original blending of genres wears too thin.

The story of a young man determined to get to the truth behind his girlfriend's murder, Horns adds elements of fantasy, comedy and horror to the mystery. Daniel Radcliffe stars as Ig Parrish. Ig was hopelessly in love until the death of girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple). And then he was instantly pegged as the prime suspect, thrust into the media spotlight and banished into the hells of reality as an evil-doer.		2013 Directed by: Alexandre Aja Screenplay by: Keith Bunin Based on the novel by Joe Hill Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella

Each drum beat raises the intensity and the stakes of achieving greatness.

Whiplash stars Miles Teller as Andrew Nieman, a promising young drummer attending a prestigious music school in New York City. He's an earnest, hard-working guy determined to achieve greatness. And that's exactly where the film first shows how unique and different this is going to be. While Andrew appears to be a sweet but shy guy deserving of our sympathies, his drive for greatness is going to drive the audience to edge of their seat and the edge of sanity.		2014 Directed by: Damien Chazelle Screenplay by: Damien Chazelle Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons

Cheering along with a film full of passion.

Set in the 1980s when gays and lesbians struggled to gain acceptance and equality in society, Pride manages to find another segment of society undergoing similar hostility from the police, Margaret Thatcher and the government. Book-ended by the 1984 and 1985 gay pride parades in London, the time in between was marked by the major miner’s strike – causing massive turmoil for everyone involved.		2014 Directed by: Matthew Warcus Screenplay by: Stephen Beresford Starring: Ben Schnetzer, Dominic West, Jessica Gunning, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton

Flying away from the weight of ego, success and celebrity with humour, intelligence and ambition.

Birdman the incredibly ambitious film about celebrity, fame, popularity, acting, creating, fatherhood, relationships, death, media and the overwhelming weight of ego is indeed about all of that. Micheal Keaton as Riggan Thomson is the titular Birdman, a popular fictional superhero in the vain of Batman, Spiderman or Iron Man, but that was decades ago and now Riggan is a washed up former superhero hanging onto to the last vestiges of celebrity and who he knows himself as.		2014 Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Screenplay by: Alejandro Gonzales Inarrituo, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis and Emma Stone

Immorality drives this tale of crime journalism to the end.

Nightcrawler is what Jake Gyllenhaal’s Lou Bloom is. He’s a thief, a beggar, a student of life, a journalist, a wannabe business man, and a man driven for work. He’s lured into the business of nighttime crime journalism and learns how to make a quick buck, and more importantly to him, respect. The fact that he’s making money off of other people’s death and misery (and in essence undermining the police) doesn’t faze him in the slightest.		2014 Directed by: Dan Gilroy Screenplay by: Dan Gilroy Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo

Lost in a world of fame, tragedy, celebrity and incest.

Maps to the Stars Or: How To Turn Personal Tragedy Into Fame, Money and Celebrity is how I would title this thoroughly disturbing tale about the Hollywood lifestyle by director David Cronenberg and writer Bruce Wagner. Agatha (Mia Wasikowska) is new in LA, ready for a tour of stars’ homes, chasing the celebrity dream and determined to cash in on her twitter friendship with Carrie Fisher. Oh, and she might have ulterior motives.		2014 Directed by: David Cronenberg Screenplay by: Bruce Wagner Starring: Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Evan Bird and Robert Pattinson