I wanted to hate this movie. The title is dumb, the plot is dumb, the acting is terrible - nothing about the trailer made me want to see it other than the fact that it was a rated-R horror film. But honestly, after actually watching You're Next, I can place this away in my 'guilty pleasure' vault alongside Green Lantern and The House at the End of the Street. It wasn't great by any stretch, but it was a totally watchable slasher flick with some interesting deaths (that may or may not have been intentionally hilarious) and a twist that somehow works despite being on the same intellectual level as an episode of Scooby-Doo. I was pleasantly surprised in that I didn't want to kill myself while watching it.
Rating: C+
The Spectacular Now:
Coming from the writers behind (500) Days of Summer, I was pretty surprised by how low-key and unsentimental this coming-of-age film was. Shailene Woodley (who you may recognize from The Descendants) won an acting award at Sundance for her role as the "good girl" Aimee Finecky, who falls for the more popular flask-toting Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) one summer during her routine paper route. Both young actors do an absolutely fantastic job, even if their relationship took me a little time to warm up to. Both are totally authentic in their quirks and flaws, and they were just fascinating characters to watch on screen. But as great as those two are, Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) in a supporting role was the highlight. He only has a couple of scenes, but they were huge turning points in the script, and considering he's usually typecasted as the "perfect dad," he was brilliantly playing against type in a fairly risky role. Overall a fantastic film with great performances all around (keep an eye out for Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bob Odenkirk) and a really tight script.
Rating: A-
In high school I was given an assignment to write a report on any book between these certain dates in history and on a whim I chose "The Catcher in the Rye," knowing only that it was a "classic" novel and nothing more. That book, like with most teenagers, turned into my all-time favorite and I similarly felt that JD Salinger just "got it." Even for something written 50 years ago, it was easy to connect with Holden Caulfield and his angst against the phony adults around him. But the reclusive author just disappeared after the book was published and has remained a mysterious figure for years. This documentary was supposedly going to be the answer to all our questions about the man - but instead it was pretty much your standard biography. The film itself wasn't too organized. It would not only jump from re-enactments to talking heads to a sort-of "hunt" for Salinger, but it would jump around in time without a care (going from the 40's to current day to 70's to 50's). Within the film there was so much repetition with both the facts and the photos/footage it became a little laborious to watch. Still, die hard fans of Salinger should learn some interesting nuggets about his past life in the army and his many ex-wives, but for those unaware of Salinger or his genius you won't get a real sense of it here (unless you count the unnecessary/awkward montage of teenagers holding up copies of "Catcher in the Rye" and smiling).
Rating: C
One of the biggest hits to come out of the 2013 SXSW Film Festival, Short Term 12 is about a foster-care facility supervised by Grace (Brie Larson) and her boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher Jr). The kids in the program all have their own traumas they bring over, and Grace has her own past she is dealing with. The film has the same "unsentimental" feel as The Spectacular Now (which ironally also features Brie Larson), making the heartstring tugging all the more raw. The writing is spot on, the acting, even from the kids, is authentic and should make you fall in love with Brie Larson. I guarantee this girl will be a big name in the next 5 or so years. If you're not emotionally devastated by the "Octopus Story" you might have checked your soul at the door.
Rating: A-
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