[Review] People, Places, Things
This review is being re-posted to coincide with the film's VOD and theatrical release.
In most comedies involving a break-up between parents, the plot tends to naturally vilify the parent opposite of the lead, portraying them as some type of evil entity whom the lead must conquer and triumph over to win. However, this isn't often the case in real life situations, and People, Places, Things does a great job of being an inherently funny film without having to trap its characters in outlandish situations to garner laughs from its audience. However, will that be enough to hold over those who have come to expect such cartoon-like comedies?
People, Places, Things
Director: Jim Strouse
Rating: N/A
Release Date: January 26, 2015 (Sundance), August 14, 2015 (VOD, theaters)
On his twin daughters' birthday, graphic novelist Will Henry (Jemaine Clement) walks in on his wife, Charlie (Stephanie Allynne), cheating on him with another man, Gary (Michael Chernus). A year later, Will is a divorcee living in a small studio apartment in Queens with weekend visitation rights. His depression, while never taking over or defining his character, begins to show through his art and teaching during his classes at the School of Visual Arts. After discovering Charlie is pregnant and intends to marry Gary, Will requests more time with the girls, and is shortly given such time when Charlie drops them off one night. Struggling to juggle his job and responsibilities with the girls, he requests help from his student, Cat (Jessica Williams) and her mother, Diane (Regina Hall). Before long, Cat and Will hit it off, but the allure of reuniting with Charlie and completing their old family dynamic threatens to derail anything new in Will's life.
Like I mentioned earlier, most comedies of this ilk like to pit ex-lovers against one another in some type of competition, but People, Places, Things doesn't go that route. In fact, despite a few disagreements, both Will and Charlie genuinely like each other. Rather than creating a conflict that's person vs. person, People, Places, Things falls more in line with person vs. self conflict, and it could be argued that the film is just as much a coming-of-age film as it is a dramedy. Writer/director Jim Strouse wrote the script with some of his personal anecdotes in mind, which help explain why the script feels so grounded in reality. Despite a solid script with well-crafted jokes, the film wouldn't have worked as well had Clement not been cast in the role of Will.
In a way, People, Places, Things is a bit of a vehicle for Clement as he's able to show off his quick-witted timing and his ability to balance that with drama. Fans of Flight of the Conchords will feel familiar with Clement's witticisms and side jokes, but can also appreciate Will's longing to be a good father.
People, Places, Things is a solid dramedy that serves as a highlight role for Clement. Anybody interested in a realistic comedy that doesn't create villainous caricatures of its characters will be drawn to the film, as well. However, audiences that have grown too familiar with Judd Apatow, Will Ferrell, or Paul Feig films may find People, Places, Things a bit too pedestrian for their tastes.
James Wan Rumored to Produce Mortal Kombat Film Reboot
My roommate and I have been obsessed with Mortal Kombat X since its release this past April, and while we've been taking breaks recently to play Rocket League, our hearts lie in the hands of Sub Zero and the rest of the MK squad. Apparently, we're not the only ones obsessed with disemboweling our opponents as Mortal Kombat X is currently the best-selling game of the year.
However, as a 25-year-old franchise, we've been down the road of Mortal Kombat propaganda, including the animated series, the films, and the online series to middling success. Yet, we're in a new age of Hollywood reboots and adaptations that can actually treat the source material with enough reverence and a decent budget to carry the name along. We've seen Mortal Kombat on the big screen already, but imagine a new vision with modern technology...
New Line Cinema is reportedly in talks with Furious 7 director James Wan to produce a new Mortal Kombat reboot with "darker, brutally real martial arts" with a story that departs from the confusing plot that's plagued the games in recent installments. Instantly, The Raid comes to mind, and my expectations might be set way too high to have Iko Uwais star in the film (or at the very least, set the choreography).
Whatever the case may be, I'm excited to see how this new Mortal Kombat film will play out.
[via IGN]
The Hateful Eight Teaser Trailer is Vintage Tarantino
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It's so rare for a Hollywood director to make constant hits with little to no misses. We're nearing eight films into Quentin Tarantino's career, and the director just continues to find success with every film he's made.
Amidst controversy over script leaks, Tarantino wavered over creating the film. After all, he's an auteur that likes to control all aspects of his art, and the leaks were enough to derail his plans. However, following a live table read, the director decided to go through with the film's production. Excitement is high for this one, especially considered the all-star cast. Watch the teaser trailer now!
The Hateful Eight will be released exclusively in theaters equipped with 70mm projectors on Christmas, followed by a wide release on January 8, 2016.
In THE HATEFUL EIGHT, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese Reunite for The Devil in the White City
There aren't many guarantees in Hollywood, but the duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese has proven their successful longevity over the years. Now, the The Wolf of Wall Street duo will reunite for a new thriller based on a true story.
DiCaprio and Scorsese's next joint project will be The Devil in the White City, a film adaptation of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America about America's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes, and the purported 27-200 people he killed during the 1893 Chicago World Fair. DiCaprio will depict Holmes based on a script written by Billy Ray (Captain Philips).
While the film won't begin production for awhile, you can read the book's synopsis below:
Not long after Jack the Ripper haunted the ill-lit streets of 1888 London, H.H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett) dispatched somewhere between 27 and 200 people, mostly single young women, in the churning new metropolis of Chicago; many of the murders occurred during (and exploited) the city’s finest moment, the World’s Fair of 1893. Larson’s breathtaking new history is a novelistic yet wholly factual account of the fair and the mass murderer who lurked within it.
[via Collider]
[The Weekly Swarm] 8/3 - 8/9
Highlights for this installment of The Weekly Swarm include a tribute to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, our photo recap of Lollapalooza 2015, our coverage of the first 2016 Republican Presidential Debate, reviews of Cop Car, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Shaun the Sheep Movie, and Antarctigo Vespucci's Leavin' La Vida Loca, and more! Check it all out below.
On Cecil The Lion, Walter Palmer and the Morality of Hunting
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper (1954-2015): The All-Time Great That Wrestling Fans Loved to Hate
[RH Photos] Lollapalooza 2015
2016 Republican Presidential Debate #1 - Hello, Cleveland!
Live-Action Naruto Film Adaptation Announced by Lionsgate
The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is Available for Pre-Order
[Review] Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Red Band Trailer for Deadpool's Deadly Debut
Leaked Story Reel Featuring Chris Farley as Shrek
[Review] Cop Car
[Review] Shaun The Sheep Movie
[RH Photos] Lollapalooza 2015
[Review] Antarctigo Vespucci: "Leavin' La Vida Loca"
Community is Probably Not Coming Back
[Review] MTV's Scream: Betrayed
2016 Republican Presidential Debate #1 - Hello, Cleveland!
The '70s Music Industry is Explored in Teaser for Martin Scorsese's Vinyl
Leaked Story Reel Featuring Chris Farley as Shrek
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Before Mike Myers took Shrek to an unprecedented high, there was one other actor in charge of giving Shrek life. Back in 1997, Chris Farley was in place to voice the gentle green giant. Unfortunately, following his untimely death, Myers took over the role, and the rest is history.
However, a story reel featuring Eddie Murphy's Donkey and Chris Farley's Shrek was released, showing fans what could have been. Farley's take on Shrek is noticeably different from Myers', as he's reminiscent of Farley's brand of sweet, but uppity character. The video is a good teaser showing what Farley's voice over work was like, and it's unfortunate that we'll never be able to find out what could have been.
If you want to get more of your Chris Farley fill, you can check out the documentary I Am Chris Farley in select theaters now, or you can wait for the VOD and home media release next Tuesday.
Red Band Trailer for Deadpool's Deadly Debut
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At one point, it seemed like Deadpool was forever going to be tainted and mishandled thanks to his "appearance" in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It's so hard to tarnish an insanely popular superhero, yet Fox found a way to do the Merc with a Mouth wrong in that film.
Since then, Ryan Reynolds, who portrayed the character, has wanted to make up for the lackluster characterization by making a stand-alone Deadpool film done correctly. The problem is, the character is so rooted in R-rated shenanigans and metafictional commentary and constant fourth-wall breaking that it was seen difficult to pull off efficiently in a film, especially one that necessitated an R rating for a film franchise that has always targeted the PG to PG-13 demographic (for maximum profit, of course).
All it took was constant support from Reynolds and a leaked CGI proof of concept to finally get the ball rolling. And after its successful showing at San Diego Comic Con 2015, the film's first official trailers were released last night on Conan. I won't go too much into the trailer to allow all of you to watch it for yourselves!
The red band (uncensored) trailer is above, while the green band trailer is below. Enjoy!
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The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is Available for Pre-Order
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Despite being a huge Hayao Miyazaki fan, my movie collection is sorely lacking some of his best works. Luckily, my patience (re: laziness) has paid off as Studio Ghibli is releasing The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set. The collection, which will be an Amazon exclusive, features Miyzaki's full filmography (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, and The Wind Rises), a television pilot for Yuki no Taiyo (Yuki's Sun) that Miyazaki directed, storyboarded, and animated in 1972, three episodes of Akado Suzunosuk (Little Samurai) that Miyazaki storyboarded, the uncut video of Miyazaki's retirement press conference, and The Great Dichotomy: Looking at the Works of Hayao Miyazaki by Tomohiro Machiyama, a book that explores and analyzes the themes of Miyazaki's filmography.
The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki Blu-Ray Set is going for $225 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon right now.
[via /Film]