Nobody Knows Hollywood

There’s no doubt Jimmy Whitey Bulger was infamous, notorious and for the reasons he was both, worthy of a biopic. The cast is spectacular, both in talent and performance. Joel Edgerton, Jesse Plemons and Dakota Johnson all flash in their roles. The obvious star is Johnny Depp, who is cold and terrifying in his transformative performance as Bulger.   That’s the good stuff. I’ve written before about the difficulty of biopics – the greatest problems lie in identifying how much and exactly what parts of a person’s life to focus on in the scope of two hours. This is where Black Mass becomes a mess. I found myself wondering why I wasn’t more engaged – not a good place to be in while watching the film. I had been looking forward to the screening for months. I really like crime stories and the exploration of the dark side of humanity. The sets are fine. South Boston looks appropriately rough and aged. The acting, as mentioned, is quite good. But what about that story…? ...

Director: F. Gary Gray Year: 2015 It starts with Eazy and it ends with Dre. Everything in between is funny, scary, conflicted, fascinating and Straight Outta Compton. I told my wife on the way to see this movie that I almost couldn’t believe it got made. I said that because of how radical and controversial these guys were and what I felt about them when they were doing what they did; it wasn’t just music, it was mind-blowing. For me, a suburban white teen looking for a voice that spoke the rebellion within me - and mind you, there wasn’t a lot to rebel against besides my own teenage nature -- the opening blips of Boyz n the Hood set it off. Eazy E’s voice, impossibly unique, raspy, high and confident, telling a fantastic story that Ice Cube laid down for him and Dre’s ridiculously raw beats, scratches and samples went off like a bomb from the speakers of my friend’s convertible Ambassador. That car was vintage mid-60’s, similar to the vaunted ‘64 Impala, a beast in its own right...

Year: 2015 Make no mistake about it, this is not your parents Vacation. From the opening montage sequence of awkward family photos, to the first f-bomb (less than ten minutes in from a character less than ten years old), this film makes it’s case: family “fun”, wrapped in good intention, is often weird, painful and, eventually, hysterical. Our ability to relate to the family road trip is what the Griswolds are all about. They are slightly underdog, profane and uncomfortable in almost every situation because of their simple desires to connect. I think it’s important to tip my cap to John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, who are listed as co-Directors and co-writers on this film. Simply put: they get it. For as low-brow as the humor is, the comedic beats and attention to detail are very sharp. The actors, too, from top to bottom, all commit to their points of view and see them through to great effect. It may seem bizarre to be charmed by humor that starts or ends in th...

Yesterday, before I went to see a sneak preview of Pixels, I sincerely spent several minutes debating with a friend at work whether or not Adam Sandler’s films were worth watching anymore. I took what seems to have become the unpopular side of the argument that, yes, Sandler’s films are still worthwhile. I don’t deny the awfulness of several of the more recent arguments made in the form of Grown Ups 2, Jack and Jill and Zookeeper. My counter to the anti-Sandler crowd is usually in the form of a few films I hold dear in Click, the Wedding Singer, Punch-Drunk Love and the slew of silliness in the 90’s ranging from the broad characters on SNL to Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, et. al.. That’s the past they say. Fair enough, I say. But Pixels is a film based on the past – an area Sandler should do well in, as he did in the somewhat charming Grown Ups (the first). The set up for Pixels is great – it’s Wreck it Ralph meets Ghostbusters with a healthy dose of the epic documentary King ...

Director: Rupert Goold Year: 2015 A true story is not necessarily an interesting one, a fact proven by this mess of a movie. The easy pickings for criticism begin with Jonah Hill – a very talented and enjoyable actor who is out of his depth in this leading role. After turning in excellent (and, to some, surprising) dramatic performances in Oscar-nominated supporting roles in Moneyball and the Wolf of Wall St., Hill, or someone in his camp, decided it was time to take a crack at a dramatic leading man role. I’m not saying he can’t or won’t someday be successful in that effort, but this wasn’t time. Nor was it completely his fault. The script and the direction lack clarity and vision. And, as the two greatest opponents in any communications endeavor are confusion and boredom, True Story pulls of the cardinal double no-no. First time feature film Director Rupert Goold had a potentially interesting story and some capable talent in his hands but simply...