Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Writers: Andy Bellin
Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Juno Temple

Synopsis: The story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband, before taking control of her life.

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DIRECTION
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s direction for Lovelace is pretty interesting in the take on a story that is pretty hard to..okay I can’t say it. But it is a rough story and it’s told in two separate ways that is interesting. The camera work is pretty creative and in a film like this, it really needs to be to keep it respectable. There is some nudidty, the first for Amanda Seyfried, but it’s tasteful and with purpose, especially given the content. However, Epsteign and Friedman uses some classic camera tricks to showcase what’s going on without it being too much or heavy handed. The aesthetic is great and puts you into the 70’s with the hairstyle and makeup as well as the dialogue. By the end of the film, the pieces came together well for the most part in terms of the direction, leaving you mostly satisfied.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
The script is pretty interesting and at the same time it’s also kind of empty. In the first half of the film, we see the story in ways that is more surface level, pure (in whatever ways it can be), and pretty generically from an outside perspective. And then it’s flipped around, and we see the same exact story but through the lens of Linda Lovelace, which is much deeper, darker and much harder to watch. Her relationship with Chuck is abusive, emotionally and physically, as he would beat her, sell her body and force her to do really difficult things. She’s more or less forced into pornography which ends up making her famous through the movie, Deep Throat, which was really popular in the 70’s. And we get a sense of what the “real” story was and the kind of environment the porn industry can be like. And in a world where women are always subjectified, it’s incredibly believable. Where the story lacks is in the character of Linda Lovelace. You don’t really get to know her much as a person outside of her dark and painful feelings in a very specific time period. So while we feel the grimness of the industry, we don’t know her as a woman which is where the story lacks in some ways. If you’re looking for a biopic on the woman of Linda Lovelace, you need to look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for a behind-the-scenes of Deep Throat movie, this is the a good one.
Grade: B+

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PERFORMANCES
Let me start off by saying Amanda Seyfried is pretty good as Linda Lovelace. In a movie that requires something new for her and requires her to bare it all in some cases, she pull it off well. I personally would have been incredibly uncomfortable and she does a great job given the subject material and what she’s put through. For a character who is forced to do physically and emotionally damaging things, she is pretty amazing. Peter Sarsgaard does a great job making you hate him and being the push-over husband who is only about himself. The rest of the cast is replaceable but they all do a good job and aren’t distracting from the film.

Grade: A-

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SCORE
Stephen Trask’s score is mostly generic but does add some nice touches to the 1970’s aesthetic we get here. The melodies are nice and energetic in the first half, yet dark and more ominous in the second half. It’s not distracting but nothing that will stand out either.

Grade: B+

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Overall Grade: B+

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Writers: Neill Blomkamp
Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga

Synopsis: Set in the year 2154, where the very wealthy live on a man-made space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth, a man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds.

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DIRECTION
When a movie is written and directed by the same person it usually translates to the screen really well as he/she knows the vision and the story intimately and can bring that to life the way they want. However, sometimes it doesn’t always work and that’s the case with Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium. His direction for the film is incredible and it’s as bit as good as his first film, District 9. The camera work is incredible and makes the action a ton of fun. While there is some shaky cam, the use of slow motion and unique maneuvers makes the action really enjoyable. The robots, who are used as policeman in 2154, are used fantastically and are really believable in this world. The visuals are stunning and absolutely incredible which also makes the aesthetic real and fun to see. Some of the violence is graphic but adds a nice touch to the setting that we find ourselves in. The big problem Blomkamp has is the performances he gets from a couple of main characters and a missed opportunity to explore Elysium. It’s a fascinating world that we never get to know. Overall though, you can appreciate the visuals and all the action that this movie has to offer.

Grade: A-

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SCRIPT
As I mentioned, sometimes it doesn’t always work when the same person writes and directs a movie and this is where this film loses itself. The film has a very strong message and stance on healthcare and the entitlement that everyone has to it but that is not the part that makes the film suffer. In fact, I can appreciate that Blomkamp takes a stance and doesn’t make it subtle and makes it fun with the visuals and action. However, it’s very conventional and predictable on every level. More so, the main villains aren’t interesting and add nothing to make the story exciting, especially since we don’t really get to know what Elysium is all about. The main story is dull, done before and adds nothing new in terms of motivations and themes. Even though the healthcare part of it is really interesting, it has nothing to do with the villains, their schemes and what they are trying to do. Again, a missed opportunity to do something with an interesting issue that Blomkamp is obviously making a big deal out of. Matt Damon and Alice Braga’s story is explored well and is something you can get into which saves the movie in some ways. Of course it’s been done a million times before but that’s okay if it’s interesting and engaging, which that part is. Damon’s character is also a great anit-here who isn’t on a super level but is good enough to get the job done. Should this script have centered more about the healthcare issues and around Elysium itself more, this film would have really been great. But since it took a Hollywood route in the end, it’s nothing more than a good action movie.

Grade: B

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PERFORMANCES
Matt Damon is amazing. He always is and he knows how to play roles like this which makes this film fun. Damon is great at action and is completely believable as our anti-hero who almost never gets it right until the moment calls for it. Alice Braga is also pretty good at the girl who is trying to save her little girl, who is dying with leukemia and is in need of Elysium’s healthcare. She also has a strong relationship with Matt Damon and while their chemistry wasn’t the greatest, it was enough for what this movie ended up being. I can’t believe I’m about to say this but Jodie Foster is terrible. Yep, it’s true. Other reviews have said it and I have to confirm it. She’s bad and her character is ridiculous on almost ever level. It’s almost laughable in some ways with some of the accents she was trying to pull off. To go along with that, Sharlto Copley, whom I love is also not very good. His character is over the top, cheesy at times and fits the ridiculousness that Fosters’ character is as well. The two of them add nothing to this movie which is hard for me to say since they are both actors I love. However, Copely’s action pieces make up for some of the bad dialogue he delivers which is a little redeeming. The other supporting roles are fine but none of them stand out in this film, even William Fichtner who normally is a fantastic in a supporting role. This is Damon’s film from a performance perspective and he gives a fun and passionate performance.

Grade: B

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SCORE
In a movie that ends up being mostly conventional and Hollywood, it demanded a score that fits that theme. Ryan Amon’s score does just that and I’m okay with it because a lot of the times those scores are pretty great. Amon’s score is fun, energetic and is fitting for the direction this movie takes. It’s quiet when it needs to be but it’s mostly a in-your-face score which is pretty fun. The main themes are great and it’s one you can enjoy outside of the film.

Grade: A-

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Overall Grade: B

Director: Joe Swanberg
Writers: Joe Swanberg
Stars: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston

Synopsis: Luke and Kate are co-workers at a Chicago brewery, where they spend their days drinking and flirting. They’re perfect for each other, except that they’re both in relationships. Luke is in the midst of marriage talks with his girlfriend of six years, Kate is playing it cool with her music producer boyfriend Chris. But you know what makes the line between “friends” and “more than friends” really blurry? Beer.

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DIRECTION
Drinking Buddies is one of the more incredibly realistic takes on relationships and it achieves this through real dialogue, real drama and real-life type characters. This movie has zero script and it is completely free-styled which means the performances are real and it feels that way. The aesthetics that Joe Swanberg creates is amazing and you feel like you’re apart of the group while you’re in the experience. The cinematography isn’t always smooth but rather moves with the characters giving you a sense of being a character yourself amongst the characters you’re watching on screen. The music choices Swanberg is perfect and a lot of fun but what’s also interesting is his use of non-music in a lot of the film. In order to capture more realism, there are a lot of scenes with no music, giving you a chance to hear all the laughter, natural sounds and dialogue which enhances the realistic approach that is taken here.

Grade: A

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SCRIPT
There is no script but there is an over-arching story that is used to help organize what’s going on. The movie centers around Kate (Olivia Wilde) and Luke (Jake Johnson) who are really close friends and co-workers at a brewery in Chicago. They are both in relationships (not with one another) but their actions are incredibly flirty and with all pun intended, they flirt with the boundaries of being friends without it being “cheating”. Again with the tone being realism, at some point this is an unfortunate issue that most people deal with at some point in their lives and this film recognizes and explores it well. Even when Luke and Katie are with their significant others, if they are in the same location they are most likely hanging out together and again flirting with those lines. However, it’s really funny and the characters are incredibly interesting which makes the story that much more engaging. The drama is just as real and when you explore these territories, that will happen, but it’s done in a way that is relatable and the realism just seeps through the pores of this story. And the best part? There is no typical Hollywood ending that makes it cheesy and predictable. The film plays it straight, leaves resolution to be needed but yet is satisfying on every level. Again, in a film where every character and the entire aesthetic is inspired by realism, the movie ends on a note that elevates it to that position.

Grade: A-

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PERFORMANCES
The performances are really good considering there was no script but only little direction to guide them in their performance. At the same time though, it’s what makes the movie feel so real and relatable. Olivia Wilde is pretty great and has some amazing moments. There are a few times you can tell she’s reaching and trying to figure out what to say but her charm and skill was enough that she was able to pull out what every scene required. Anna Kendrick probably struggled the most but her character almost called for that given the fact that her character has some strong issues she’s dealing with, which would make it hard for someone in real life. Jake Johnson and Ron Livingston are natural’s at it and were completely smooth. Livingston isn’t in the movie a whole lot but for what his character is he does a great job. Johnson is on fire right now and is one of the better actors out there. He’s hilarious and extremely likable and what he brings to the table here is very impressive. Nothing feels free-styled coming from him and his character, especially as a guy, is very relatable and is something a lot of guys go through at some point in their life. The performances are critical given the fact they are making up dialogue as they go along and their chemistry is second to none, for the most part. There are a few parts where they struggled a little bit but given the theme of the film and the realistic setting, you can expect some of that. Overall, they are amazing and it’s rarely distracting.

Grade: A

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SCORE
There is no score but the musical choices that Swanberg uses are great and adds a lot to the fun aesthetic that we find ourselves in. The soundtrack is recommended and is a fun listen to outside of the film. Lady Luck by Richard Swift is specifically a great song choice and really set the tone of the film well.

Grade: A-

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Overall Grade: A-