Feb. 16 -
YES! News concerning Russell's upcoming move American Bullshit: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Christian Bale will all be starring in it! Lawrence and Bale will be playing man and wife, and according to IMDB Bradley Cooper will be playing Jimmy Boyle, though having never read the book I have no idea who that is. Again from IMDB, the plot of the movie is "An FBI sting operation in the 1970's called Abscam leads to the conviction of United States Congressmen." All I can say is that I hope Bradley Cooper plays a corrupt politician. He would be awesome at that. The rest of the cast (so far) is made up of Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Louis C.K. (!) At this point I am beyond excited for this! I love political type movies, and if you add Russell and the cast, that's practically a guaranteed great movie.
P.S.
I also realize this isn't an obscure film. But Russell's mainly an indie director, and this news was too awesome not talk about.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Movie Review: The Education of Charlie Banks
The Education of Charlie Banks (2007)
Directed by Fred Durst
Written by Peter Elkoff
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter, Christ Marquette, Eva Amurri
Review
I knew from the first scene this was going to be something different. It certainly wasn't a Hollywoodized coming of age drama, and it didn't even really fall into the obvious 'indie' category. It seemed like something from a different era, where the camera was allowed to sit and let the actors play out the scene. Though the story was modern (Sort of. It took place in the eighties.) the tone was incredibly old. The themes and emotions running in it felt more like something out of a Fitzgerald or Steinbeck novel (coincidentally the book that bully is drawn to is the Great Gatsby.) It's a film that isn't populated by villains or heroes but by people, and for some that might be boring, but for me it was magical.
The film opens to a middle-school aged Charlie gazing at the figure of the renowned and feared Mick - a bully who had already begun to gather a following about him.
"Every kid grows up with a boogeyman under his bed. Mine terrorized Greenwich Village and smoked Newports." voices-over a now grown Charlie (played flawlessly by Jesse Eisenberg.)
Fast-forward to a high school party, where he's formally introduced to Mick (Ritter) by his best friend Danny (Marquette.) "Boojie" Mick immediately calls Charlie, ironic because Danny is far more wealthy. The theme of class is introduced. Mick has a resentment of the upper class, mostly because it's out of his reach. The other things we learn about Mick is his easily provoked temper. At first glance he looks like a slick New York kid, it's only when you see him in action that you can really see his savagery. Provoked by two high school kids, he takes them out onto the roof and beats them to the point of near death, causing Charlie to go the police. However, after seeing Mick back out on bail he backs down and retracts statement. Mick goes free.
Charlie and Danny are now in college leading an idyllic life with their even more 'boojie' friends - played by Sebastian Stan, Gloria Votsis - and Charlie's crush Mary (Eva Amurri.) The peace of Charlie's world is shattered when Mick shows up to visit Danny. He's inducted into their circle and starts pursuing Mary. That's where I'll stop with the plot. After that it plays second fiddle to the extremely rich and developed characters of Mick and Charlie. We see Mick as we've never seen him before; vulnerable and lost. Shut out by the upper crust before, he's led into a world of private jets and long nights of poker and booze. Charlie, though angry because of his pursuit of Mary, shows a desire to look out for Mick. Of course, nothing can last forever.
Like all great novels involving the class system and idyllic lifestyles, The Education of Charlie Banks leaves you in thought. It's statements on class are reminiscent of Gatsby, and it's take on friendship is similar to Of Mice and Men (Not directly. George doesn't literally shoot Lenny in this one.) The performances are enthralling - Eisenberg and Ritter in particular. Ritter's version of a bully isn't one we see a lot. He isn't mean for the sake of being mean, he's a damaged and lost man caught up in a world he always seems to be one step behind. His relationship with Charlie is unusual and complex enough to befit real life, and indeed this was partially based on the writers own experience. As far as drama's go, it's fantastic - especially if you like older literature. Who would have thought that the frontman of Limp Bizkit could have made a thoughtful and emotional movie?
Side note: Don't watch any of the trailers for this movie. It gives away a huge plot point in the movie.
Overall grade: 9/10
Directed by Fred Durst
Written by Peter Elkoff
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter, Christ Marquette, Eva Amurri
Review
I knew from the first scene this was going to be something different. It certainly wasn't a Hollywoodized coming of age drama, and it didn't even really fall into the obvious 'indie' category. It seemed like something from a different era, where the camera was allowed to sit and let the actors play out the scene. Though the story was modern (Sort of. It took place in the eighties.) the tone was incredibly old. The themes and emotions running in it felt more like something out of a Fitzgerald or Steinbeck novel (coincidentally the book that bully is drawn to is the Great Gatsby.) It's a film that isn't populated by villains or heroes but by people, and for some that might be boring, but for me it was magical.
The film opens to a middle-school aged Charlie gazing at the figure of the renowned and feared Mick - a bully who had already begun to gather a following about him.
"Every kid grows up with a boogeyman under his bed. Mine terrorized Greenwich Village and smoked Newports." voices-over a now grown Charlie (played flawlessly by Jesse Eisenberg.)
Fast-forward to a high school party, where he's formally introduced to Mick (Ritter) by his best friend Danny (Marquette.) "Boojie" Mick immediately calls Charlie, ironic because Danny is far more wealthy. The theme of class is introduced. Mick has a resentment of the upper class, mostly because it's out of his reach. The other things we learn about Mick is his easily provoked temper. At first glance he looks like a slick New York kid, it's only when you see him in action that you can really see his savagery. Provoked by two high school kids, he takes them out onto the roof and beats them to the point of near death, causing Charlie to go the police. However, after seeing Mick back out on bail he backs down and retracts statement. Mick goes free.
Charlie and Danny are now in college leading an idyllic life with their even more 'boojie' friends - played by Sebastian Stan, Gloria Votsis - and Charlie's crush Mary (Eva Amurri.) The peace of Charlie's world is shattered when Mick shows up to visit Danny. He's inducted into their circle and starts pursuing Mary. That's where I'll stop with the plot. After that it plays second fiddle to the extremely rich and developed characters of Mick and Charlie. We see Mick as we've never seen him before; vulnerable and lost. Shut out by the upper crust before, he's led into a world of private jets and long nights of poker and booze. Charlie, though angry because of his pursuit of Mary, shows a desire to look out for Mick. Of course, nothing can last forever.
Like all great novels involving the class system and idyllic lifestyles, The Education of Charlie Banks leaves you in thought. It's statements on class are reminiscent of Gatsby, and it's take on friendship is similar to Of Mice and Men (Not directly. George doesn't literally shoot Lenny in this one.) The performances are enthralling - Eisenberg and Ritter in particular. Ritter's version of a bully isn't one we see a lot. He isn't mean for the sake of being mean, he's a damaged and lost man caught up in a world he always seems to be one step behind. His relationship with Charlie is unusual and complex enough to befit real life, and indeed this was partially based on the writers own experience. As far as drama's go, it's fantastic - especially if you like older literature. Who would have thought that the frontman of Limp Bizkit could have made a thoughtful and emotional movie?
Side note: Don't watch any of the trailers for this movie. It gives away a huge plot point in the movie.
Overall grade: 9/10
Friday, February 15, 2013
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