AICN,
Uncle B(ukkake) here with reviews of the remaining flicks I watched at this year's festival:
"The Spectacular Now" is a terrific meditation on adolescence and all of the uncertainty, fear, bravado, and pain that accompany youth. This film is from the director of "Smashed" and the writers of "500 Days of Summer" - both excellent films which made this a "must see" for me at the festival. I was initially disappointed that this film centered around Sutter Keely (played quite effectively by Miles Teller), who is completely self-absorbed and jerky. Director James Ponsoldt expects this initial reaction from the audience and uses it to his advantage. Once Sutter meets Aimee Finicky (an amazing Shailene Woodley) - in a memorable introduction - we recognize that there are deeper (albeit torn) layers to Sutter that were not immediately apparent. Although the audience is as skeptical of Sutter's intentions with Aimee as their respective friends (and there is reason for this apprehension), they do successfully act as a necessary catalyst for each other. Their misadventures include an extended sequence with Sutter's father that is ultimately transcendent. Another exceptional scene involves Sutter's boss, played by the always dependable Bob Odenkirk, which is so simple in execution but revelatory of Sutter's growth. Shailene Woodley has the less showy role, but emerges as a major talent (following "The Descendants"). Her blind devotion to Sutter is heartbreaking - particularly during a great scene following her prom. Shailene's final shot in the movie is reminiscent of the closing shot in "The Graduate" and will divide audiences as to its ultimate intention (although I think the physical gestures give it away). James Ponsoldt is the real deal - a director I will be following.
"Don Jon's Addiction" is the first time feature from actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who also plays the lead, Jon Martello. Similar to Sutter's introduction, Jon is initially portrayed as nothing more than an arrogant simpleton. Jon is a Jersey boy, hitting up clubs, chasing girls, and watching an unhealthy (is there such a thing?) amount of online pornography. The script, also from Gordon-Levitt, surprisingly manages to mine lots of comedy from this premise, and Gordon-Levitt shows definite promise as both a writer and director. Gordon-Levitt is clearly fascinated with how society and media influence/shape our personalities, actions, and mannerisms. I laughed quite a bit during this movie, especially during Jon's family dinners (Tony Danza, as Jon's father, is terrific). Esther (Julianne Moore, always interesting) is key to Jon's transformation, but the final act is just not as powerful as the "punch" delivered by "The Spectacular Now." "Don Jon's Addiction" will be a difficult sell to mainstream audiences (given the subject matter), not to mention the ratings board, but Gordon-Levitt has a unique and honest voice behind the camera. Uncle B approves.
Speaking of "The Descendants," "The Way, Way Back" is an uneven comedy from two of the three writers of that movie. This "coming of age" flick concentrates on Duncan (Liam James), a teenager dealing with divorce and a miserable summer vacation with his mom (Toni Collette, underutilized) and "new dad" (Steve Carrell, playing a completely underdeveloped and nasty character). This movie felt fragmented from the outset. The family sequences are melodramatic and predictable. By contrast, the water park scenes, wherein Duncan escapes the aforementioned family drama, are whimsical, clever, and (most importantly) very entertaining - especially once Duncan meets Owen (a never better Sam Rockwell). Liam James has far less screen charisma than Miles Teller, but his interactions with Sam Rockwell are worth the price of admission. Sam Rockwell needs to be in many more movies.
"Sweetwater" is a revenge tale set in the Old West. Sarah (January Jones, as dry and wooden as ever) plays a newlywed seeking revenge when her new husband is murdered by the town's "prophet," Josiah (Jason Isaacs, who wonderfully chews up every scene he inhabits). There is nothing memorable about this movie other than the supporting role from Ed Harris, who plays Sheriff Jackson with a "tongue and cheek" gusto as he pieces together the numerous murder mysteries that plague this town.
"The Look of Love" is a curious biopic of Paul Raymond, who created the first "gentleman's club" in England in the late 1950's. I am a fan of Steve Coogan's prior work. However, his portrayal of Paul Raymond is puzzling in that he never seems to delve below the surface of Paul's obsessions with sex, fame, and wealth. Even the sequences between Paul and his daughter (who appears to be the only person that consistently remained in his life) are less moving than I expected. Paul Raymond is not particularly interesting as a character study, and this type of material has already been handled far more effectively in "The People v. Larry Flynt." A definite disappointment.
I was also not impressed with the latest features from two Sundance "darlings" - Lynn Shelton ("Touchy Feely") and Drake Doremus ("Breathe In"). "Touchy Feely" is a character study of a brother, Paul (a dentist played by Josh Pais) and sister, Abby (a massage therapist played by Rosemarie DeWitt). Abby, the free spirit, loses the desire for bodily contact, while Paul develops the ability to heal his patients of various ailments. Lynn Shelton's apparent exploration of "identity crisis" was lost on me, but the movie does include a strong supporting performance from Ellen Page (playing Paul's daughter), who suffers a crisis of her own that is far more compelling and believable than either lead character. I had a slightly more positive reaction to "Breathe In," but the subject matter (Guy Pearce suffers a midlife crisis and falls for Felicity Jones, a British exchange student who is staying with his family for a semester) was a major turnoff and proved tedious after the first act. There is no question that Drake Doremus is a talented director but this script was far too concerned with the prurient details of the aforementioned indiscretions than any rationale for the behavior.
Which brings us to "Upstream Color," the technically accomplished but narratively obtuse film from director Shane Carruth. His last film, "Primer" won the grand jury prize at Sundance, but his latest flick is sure to polarize audiences. There is no denying that Shane Carruth is an artist. His new film attempts to explore memory and mind control, as well as the various ways that memory can be manipulated, stolen, repressed, or lost. However, this film left me utterly frustrated and with more questions than answers (which was perhaps the point). That said, there are enough inspired sequences and powerful images throughout this mind bender for me to ultimately recommend this film. Moreover, lead actress, Amy Seimetz (playing Kris) is a revelation. Even when Shane Carruth has the audience scratching its collective head, Amy Seimetz's performance is captivating. This is a film I will revisit.
-Uncle B
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