The Founder

It’s that time of the year again when Michael Keaton attempts to get his foot in the proverbial Oscar nominations door, and this time he’s taking on Ray Kroc - who was hugely influential in the rise of McDonalds - in The Founder.

Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton) is an unsuccessful travelling salesman who is desperately trying to sell milkshake makers. His wife Ethel (Laura Dern) tries her best to support him, but even she’s at the end of her tether. His unbridled ambition keeps him going, but Ray finds little interest out there. All of that changes however when a surprise order of six milkshake makers comes in from a small but popular diner in San Bernadino called McDonalds.

Intrigued by the size of their operation, Ray travels interstate to visit the restaurant and is instantly blown away. The visionary concept of fast and consistent service is the brain child of Dick McDonald (Nick Offerman) who helped develop the business with his supportive brother Mac (John Carroll Lynch). When Ray meets with them and hears their story, he instantly wants to get involved by helping them franchise, however it soon becomes clear to the brothers that Ray doesn’t just want to be a consultant on the sidelines.

The Founder has had several changes to its release date throughout the year, pushing closer and closer towards Oscars season. Hence if you’ve seen a film in the past six months there’s a good chance you’ve seen its trailer, and if you’ve seen the trailer then you know the story. So the only thing unclear when going into The Founder was what sort of approach director John Lee Hancock would take with it, and in particular what sort of corporate influence McDonald’s may have had in the creative process, if any at all. It’s difficult to tell about the latter since it seems to balance bias fairly well, however Hancock can be particularly heavy-handed at times and there’s a feeling throughout that the film may be just a bit too big for its boots.

Supposedly The Founder takes inspiration from There Will Be Blood and The Social Network, however in reality it cannot hope to hold up to the sophisticated stylistic concerns of either of these films, and its watery character development certainly can’t compete with those of the former. In many ways The Founder falls into the category of bland, formula-driven biopics that focus all their attention on getting noticed during awards season, which is a shame because for the first third of the movie, it’s quite capable of drawing you into the fast-paced, competitive world of food service.

During this opening act, the rhythm and timing of the film feels spot-on. Hancock makes efficient use of montages, particularly when the McDonald brothers are telling Ray their story. However at some point during the exponential, brutal rise of McDonalds at the hands of the gung-ho Kroc, the rhythm that drives the first third starts to back off and The Founder falls apart. One slightly-too-loud senior in my screening noted to his wife how tedious the film had become, and I can’t say that I completely disagreed. From around the time that Ray meets Joan, writer Robert Siegel opens up additional sub-plots that don’t have the time or space to play out and hence feel tacked-on for the sole purpose of covering all the bases.

Quite apart from timing issues, the film relies on some seriously weak characters. Ray starts out as a down-on-his-luck opportunist who sees everything as potential business and actually has a few conflicting perspectives that could be interesting to see played out. However, soon after the start of his involvement with McDonalds, Ray shifts closer to the cliched, selfish and mad-with-power business ideologue that we’ve seen done too many times to still be interesting, no matter what repertoire Keaton can bring to the role.

Laura Dern’s Ethel gets very little screen-time and spends all of it lying in bed looking concerned and/or mad with Ray. Patrick Wilson makes a brief but insignificant appearance, and B.J Novak brings his experience from The Office t the conniving Harry Sonneborn that does very little to spice up the story. By far the most interesting characters are the McDonald brothers who have an attractive attention-to-detail and brilliance about them that balances well with the light-comedy that Lynch and Offerman bring to the roles. However even they are limited by bad pacing and poor characterisation at the script level.

The Founder has a strong opening act that sets you up for a film of empty promises, and whilst the story is certainly interesting enough to keep you watching, its rhythm, pacing and characters can't follow suit.

Me and Earl and The Dying Girl

Recently movies that deal with the theme of characters dying from cancer have seemed extremely shallow and superfluous (I'm looking at you Fault in Our Stars). To me they never capture the raw emotions that people experience when someone close to them develops a terminal illness, instead just using superficial manipulation to elicit an emotional response from the audience. However, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's sophomore feature goes deeper than this whilst touching on a number of other issues.

Greg (Thomas Mann) tries extremely hard not to stick out in high school by becoming as invisible as he can to the other students. He and his friend Earl (RJ Cyler) both are passionate about classic cinema and since they were younger have made low-fi remakes of these films (A Sockwork Orange is a personal favourite of mine). One day Greg learns from his parents that a childhood friend of his has been diagnosed with leukaemia. His mother forces him to spend time with Rachel (Olivia Cooke), the titular dying girl, but as time progresses she eventually becomes Greg's, and by extension Earl's, friend.

It is an absolute joy to watch this film. It is raw and honest in its portrayal of people's reactions to knowing someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, which is a more important story to tell because unless you yourself have been dealt such a blow, you will never know what it is like. But chances are you know at least one person who has. And through this you are genuinely moved by how the characters deal with each revelation.

Whilst the film is about dealing with cancer, it also touches on a number of other issues. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl is also a movie about high school and the teen angst that is the undercurrent through those years. Greg makes a concerted effort to label each and every group he comes across, but the people he does this too eventually buck this trend (a big example of this is the character of Madison, who is typified as an attractive girl who stomps on the hearts of less popular guys).

The movie also touches very subtly on racial inequality. Earl is seen to live in a poorer part of Pittsburgh (where the film is set). The film has no qualms about showing that this is due to the fact that is a lower socio-economic area. Rejon also examines the idea of platonic love. It is obvious that Greg is in love with Rachel, but he never acts on it in a romantic way (except for maybe the ending).

Rejon also makes the film a love letter to classic cinema, as it's chock fill with references to Werner Herzog, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa and other classic directors. The soundtrack is a perfect mix of the same old independent movie music and older classic movie soundtrack moments.

The cast of this film is perfect. Thomas Mann is fantastically dry but also a great physical comedian. RJ Cyler stands out as a phenomenal young actor who can play both serious and funny. Olivia Cooke's performance is just heart wrenching as Rachel and really shows her character's inner turmoil. Molly Shannon is macabrely funny as Rachel's mother who turns to alcohol in response to her child's bleak future. Both Connie Britton and Nick Offerman are fantastic as Greg's parents and Offerman's performance reminded me immensely of a friend of mine and thus I felt more comfortable with his character. Jon Bernthal rounds out the cast as the tattooed history teacher McCarthy.

Never before have I been on such an emotional roller coaster ride while watching a movie than with Me and Earl and The Dying Girl. It is a perfect movie for anyone of any age.

A Walk in the Woods

"Intimidate the bears? They're f*cking bears!"

Following on the heels of the astoundingly good All is Lost from a couple years back, the latest 'Robert Redford in nature' film A Walk in the Woods - directed by Ken Kwapis - acts as a biopic for travel author Bill Bryson. In essence, it's a roadtrip movie, just without the road...or the car.

Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) is a travel author whose recently moved back to the States. After a television host asks him why he hasn't written about his home country America, Bryson decides to hike the Appalachian trail, a 2,200 mile stretch of wilderness that not many people manage to complete. His wife Catherine (Emma Thompson) thinks it's a terrible idea and insists that he doesn't go alone. After calling just about everybody he can think of, he gets a call from an old yet distant friend, Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte) who wants to hike the trail with him. After Stephen arrives, it's clear that he's in no shape to hike the trail, but they go anyway. Bryson is determined to finish the trail, even if that means dragging Stephen along behind him.  

To be honest, comparing this to All is Lost is unnecessary and unfair. Where the aforementioned ponders subtle philosophical questions about existence as its timid character struggles to survive, A Walk in the Woods presents a lighthearted story about rekindling friendship and enjoying the scenery. 'Robert Redford in nature' is as far as the comparison stretches. If you approach this in the right mindset, Kwapis has created a sometimes cheesy but regularly funny film that sheds light on the mind of a travel writer and offers a solid plot arc for the relationship between Bryson and Katz, a basic story that's been told countless times before, especially in the road-trip format, but still works well. Unfortunately, A Walk in the Woods often feels rushed and lacks nuance. I rarely argue for adding to a running time but at 105 mins, there's not much room for the characters to indulge in the experience of walking the Appalachian trail and as such, much of the film becomes a montage of bite-sized moments.

The story is driven by the relationship between Bryson and Katz, which is fairly well portrayed by the two leads. Redford is not at his strongest here but still brings life to what is essentially the straight-man in the comedy duo. Nolte portrays Katz as an enthusiastic but easily whiny out-of-shape alcoholic with the trademark raspy voice, and does so convincingly. Whilst character development is limited, that's more to do with material than the performances.

Kristen Schaal succeeds at creating another funny yet annoying character with the clingy hiker Mary Ellen, and Emma Thompson's small role is still decently well rounded. Overall though A Walk in the Woods has a very small cast, which is dominated by Redford and Nolte. However I did find the interactions between Bryson and motel owner Jeannie awkwardly timed. Mary Steenburgen is an undoubtedly talented actress and I think the scene was designed to be awkward in this way but it still felt surprisingly jarring. Not much to complain about though. John Bailey adds to his fine filmography with some stunning cinematography. The sweeping landscape shots are beautifully composed, and the natural environment encapsulated well. I think Bailey could have stretched his creativity more and mixed it up a bit but it's still a joy to watch.

A Walk in the Woods is at times rushed and is not going to take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, however those looking for a lighthearted, funny film that takes you into nature need look no further.

Fargo season 2 casting news

Fargo was one of the surprise TV hits of 2014. It boasted great performances from Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton who both play scary characters in their own ways. It seemed very likely that due to the popularity of this miniseries that there would be another season, albeit with a different cast.

This new season will focus on a young Lou Solverson (played by Keith Carradine in the first season), freshly back from the Vietnam War and living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he is a state trooper investigating a mob incident. Young Lou Solverson will be played Patrick Wilson. Also appearing in the series are Ted Danson, who will play Lou's father in law and sheriff of Rock County, Minnesota and Jean Smart will play the matriarch of a crime family. Nick Offerman and Kieran Culkin also star.

22 Jump Street

So since neither Edward nor I could decide who would review this movie, you're all gonna get a weird (dis)joint(ed) review. So let's get to it.

Edward:

Having first seen 21 Jump Street when I was in high school, it was filled with plenty of jokes that I could relate to. Yet whilst it was funny enough, it always seemed like it was lacking direction in some areas, and I felt that much of the humour needed more of a setup. Now, as I’ve moved on to University, the boys are back and are going to college, with the (self-aware) sequel 22 Jump Street.

The new action packed installment picks up the pace a lot more, and overall I found the jokes quite a bit funnier than they were in the first. Whilst there’s still plenty of the “Suck my d*ck! No you suck my d*ck!!” sort of humor that dominated the original, it feels much more natural and flowing this time around, probably due to the vastly improved screenplay.

The film is also hilariously self-reflexive, taking satirical jabs at Hollywood’s obsession with sequels as we see the 23 Jump Street condominiums under construction, as well as the nature of the industry in general. There are also the absolutely hilarious credits - honestly one of the best parts of the movie - that I urge you to stay for, as they will certainly expel any worries you may have about the direction that this franchise is going in.

The action sequences are not over the top but definitely won’t disappoint, with plenty of eye-candy courtesy of explosions and slow-motion sequences. The acting is also spot on for this sort of comedy, with both Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum just as good as they were in the first and with a great supporting cast.

Verdict: Overall, 22 Jump Street stands up strong and is quite an improvement over it’s younger sibling.  If you enjoyed the first, you’ll be laughing all the way through this one!   

Jack:

Unlike 21 Jump Street, 22 knows it is a TV show spinoff (it also knows it a sequel but hopefully Edward's already written about that). We even get a previously on Jump Street recap, as if this is just another episode of a sitcom version of the original show.

This movie also has a bunch of references to other 80s TV shows and movies, such as The Golden Girls (which if you know the reference when it comes is hilarious) and Top Gun. These references are hilarious, but then again most of the film is funny. Schmidt and Jenko's bromance escalates to a homoerotic level that guarantees even more laughs.

This movie made me laugh so much that Edward must have regretted seeing it with me. The jokes were fast flowing and weren't too stale. However, the majority of the audience must have been a lot younger than us because I don't think they got a lot of the jokes, especially when the references are aimed at an older audience (like a superb Straight Outta Compton joke directed at Ice Cube).

Speaking of Cube, there is a lot more of him in this movie. And he is even funnier than he was in the first movie. His chemistry with both Tatum and Hill is fantastic and you tell they all had a really fun time making the movie. Especially Channing Tatum. He bounces around the screen like an actual teenager with a lot of glee.

The other standout performance comes from newcomer (to the franchise) Jillian Bell (Workaholics). If you are at all a fan of the aforementioned Workaholics, you'll especially like her character because she is just a slightly more unstable and violent version of Jillian on the show.

Verdict: A great sequel that is terribly self aware and just a pleasure to watch.

We're The Millers

We're the Millers does an unconventional take on the family road trip movie. There are some elements that people will recognise, but for the most part, you won't.

David (Jason Sudeikis) is a low-level drug dealer working for Brad Gurlinger (Ed Helms), a crazy drug baron who likes to show off his wealth. One day, David gets his stash and money stolen by some thugs and ends up being blackmailed by Brad to do some smuggling for him. He enlists the help of his neighbour, Kenny (Will Poulter), a runaway, Casey (Emma Roberts), and a stripper who lives in his building, Rose (Jennifer Aniston). They pose as a family to bring the drugs to the States from Mexico in a RV. They soon discover that they stole the drugs from an equally crazed Mexican baron, Pablo Chacon (Tomer Sisley), and race to get to Denver before they can be stopped.

This movie is a lot funnier than what I expected. There are a lot of jokes about regular family road trips, but also jokes about how this group isn't a real family. One hilarious ongoing joke involves a weed baby.

Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live, Horrible Bosses) is a great leading man in this comedy and you can see that he is really comfortable doing improvisation, because I'm sure most of his priceless one-liners couldn't be written, even by the funniest comedy writers.

It was amazing to see America's sweetheart Jennifer Aniston play a foul mouthed role. It's always refreshing to see actors go against the grain and take a role that no one's seen them do before. Aniston is  just plain funny as she really gets into the role of trying to be a fake mother to this family. She sort of reminds me of Catherine O'Hara in Orange County.

Will Poulter has been consistently funny throughout his career. He was hilarious in the British sketch show School of Comedy and now he has proven that he can be funny in a feature length film. I look forward to seeing a lot more of him in future.

I know Emma Roberts (Scream 4) has been working in Hollywood for years, but prior to this, none of her films have appealed to me. That's not to say that she isn't a good actress, because this film clearly shows that she is.

Verdict: A genuinely funny and original comedy that will appeal to anyone who's ever been on a family road trip. Or smuggled drugs.