Venus and Serena

Venus and Serena, the documentary about a year in the life of the two most accomplished women in professional tennis is not only inspiring, its also very good. Directed by Maiken Baird and Michelle Major, Venus and Serena will make you laugh, upset you, as well as educate you and inspire you. You see what trials and tribulations the sisters had to overcome during the 2011 tour and because of that, I give Venus and Serena three and a half buckets of Killer Korn.




 Off the bat I want to state that I am not a huge fan of the sports documentary, mainly because they very rarely tell you anything you didn't already know and all they want to do is make you a bigger fan. I am however, a HUGE fan of tennis. I used to be a fan of just men's tennis primarily, that was until Venus and Serena hit the scene, suddenly I found myself tuning in to the women's matches with the same frequency as I did the men's. It was like, I never gave a damn about golf until there was Tiger, but then I started checking if Tiger was over or under par, or if he made the cut. Same with the Venus and Serena. I never thought for a second what it must have been like or took for either of them to be as good as they were. This movie shows you all of that and then some.

Shot during the difficult 2011 tour, the movie also sprinkles in flashbacks of the early days and how Venus and Serena started out. They were two little skinny, precocious, and very confident girls from Compton California hitting used tennis balls from the local country club. Both were coached by their taskmaster of a father who had a dream, a vision that would take his daughters to the pinnacle of the tennis world and get the family out of the ghetto. I don't think even he could have envisioned the success his little girls would achieve, though he may tell you differently.

With Chris Rock and ex President Bill Clinton among the people who make an appearance in the movie, you get the sense just how deep the fandom runs for these women. Venus and Serena is all about whether the sisters can come back for their maladies they suffered during 2010. Venus was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that saps her strength and brings on joint pain, numbness, and serious fatigue. Serena was close to losing her life, having been diagnosed with blood clots in her lungs. No one was sure if the two would ever play again but this documentary not only shows the love the women have for each other, but also the fire that burns white hot within them to be the best.

If you love the Williams' sisters then you will definitely enjoy this movie. If you hate them then this movie may change that mindset. You won't walk away loving them but you may walk away appreciating all they have done for their sport. They played and dominated through their parents divorce as well as the murder of their oldest sister Yetunde Price, who was gunned down in her car in what's believed to be due to a case of mistaken identity. Maiken and Michelle were given unprecedented access to the sisters as they worked through rehab and struggled to get back in shape to play at the level they are accustomed to. In one instance you see how Serena became addicted to Karaoke during this time you won't be able to do anything but laugh. And for the record, she is a really bad singer.

With music provided by Wyclef Jean, Venus and Serena is well worth the price of admission, if you care. If you don't like women's tennis or you don't care for either Venus or Serena then don't even waste your time. However, if you ever wondered where these two amazingly talented women came from, what drove them to achieve, and what drives them to succeed, then I highly recommend Venus and Serena and I'll see you at the theater. 

The Iceman

The Iceman, the latest film by Ariel Vroman is the story of one of the most cold blooded killers of our generation, Richard Kuklinski. It is a fascinating movie, not just because of the subject matter but because of the performances and the look of the movie. It was a marvel to look at because the film does everything possible to take you back to the 1970's. It does an amazing job of that and because of that I give The Iceman three buckets of Killer Korn.





If you don't know about Richard Kuklinski aka The Iceman, this movie will educate you on one of the most feared and dangerous men to ever walk the earth. Playing the 6' 5" killer is the intimidating and talented Michael Shannon. Sadly Michael plays Richard all dark, there's nothing light about his portrayal, there's no charm which if you watched the documentary on Kuklinski you see he can be very charming, deadly but charming. Starring alongside Michael Shannon  is Winona Ryder who plays Deborah Pellicotti, Richard's wife, Chris Evans playing Mr. Freezy, Ray Liotta playing Roy Demeo, David Schwimmer playing Josh Rosenthal, Stephen Dorff playing Richard's brother Joey Kuklinksi, and Robert Davi who plays Leonard Marks. It's a very talented cast for a film where most of the budget was spent on acquiring the cars and the clothes of a decade long since gone.

The Iceman tells the story of the beginning of Richards career as a hitter for the mob right up to the end of him getting captured out in front of his house. In between those two moments is some engaging film making. With tales of grisly murders ripped straight from the documentary "The Iceman Interviews" and other sources detailing the home life of Richard, you come to see a man torn between the world he wants, family and home, and the world he needs, contract killing to pay for the family's needs. Richard was the doting father to his two daughters and the loving husband to Deborah, but when it was time to go to work, his face would darken and he would head out to kill and get paid. His work as a "currency exchanger" keeps Deborah and the kids in the dark about his activities outside the house but they expect there is more to the man they love than what he's letting on.

The problem with the film is the story, it's all over the place and it doesn't focus on one or two seminal events in Richard's life. Director Vroman with Morgan Land wrote the screenplay and it seemed like they wanted to squeeze in as much of Kuklinkski's actions as possible. While that's commendable it hurt the film in terms of a cohesive story line. The timeline bounces around in leaps and bounds and we the viewer are taken from one murder to another and the only time we realize how Richard's ambitions could hurt him is during his daughters birthday party. Ray Liotta's mob connected Roy Demeo, the man that gave Richard his start finds out Richard is doing freelance killings and that doesn't sit well. He threatens Richard's entire family and it's the one scene in the movie that actually feels frightening.

The lack of the cohesive story doesn't really hurt The Iceman though and that's basically because production designer Nathan Amondson did an Oscar worthy job of finding artifacts of the 70's. The cars, the clothes, the closet phone booths makes me wonder where he was able to find them all. It was a job well done and cinematographer Bubby Bukowski gives the film the look of one that was filmed back in the 70's. It has a grainy, dark, and and at times ominous look that shapes the mood. It's also shot many times as if we are the fly on the wall, eavesdropping on the characters and the choices they make and watching them pay the consequences of said choices. The music by Haim Mazar fits perfectly with the images on the screen, when Kuklinski is intimidating and murderous the music slowly builds but it's never overwhelming. And when he's home with his family, the score is subtle and tragic, the perfect blend for The Iceman.

This film is not for everyone, and unless you are a fan of Michael Shannon or Richard Kuklinski then you really might want to think about skipping this movie. I'm not a real fan of either man and yet I'm happy I saw The Iceman, it was worth the price of admission in my opinion. If you see it you won't be disappointed and I'll see you at the theater.

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3, the second film ever by director Shane Black is such a bad movie that it's hard for me to wrap my head around it. You know how there's a film that you so desperately want to enjoy? That's how I felt about this latest Iron Man movie after the debacle that was Iron Man 2. I really wanted to enjoy this, but as a "story first" kind of guy, this movie was crap and that's why this third chapter of Iron Man gets a half a bucket of Killer Korn.



Hey Paramount/Marvel Studios, if I promise to eat ALL my vegetables will you promise NOT to make anymore Iron Man movies, no matter how much this one earns at the box office? I say that because while this movie will make a ton of money, number 4 will more than likely be just as crappy if not worse than this drivel. Reprising his role as the shallow, egotistical, billionaire genius Tony Stark is Robert Downey Jr and along for the ride yet again is Gwenyth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as Col. James Rhodes, and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan. The new additions to the Iron Man trilogy are Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin, Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen, James Badge Dale as Savin, and William Sadler as President Ellis. All the people I just mentioned, and the rest of the cast that I didn't should draft up a lawsuit and sue Drew Pearce and Shane Black, the guys who'll take credit for writing this, for potentially putting their careers in jeopardy with this nonsense.

Now like I stated earlier, I'm a story first kind of guy because I have always felt (and I'm usually right about this) that with a good story, comes a good movie. The opposite is usually true as well depending on your point of view. If you think a good movie is solely dependent on how it does at the box office and has nothing to do with a decent to good story line/plot then more than likely you will absolutely love Iron Man 3. However, if you think a good movie is one that has a credible, decent story line/plot, one that was crafted and written by those that ultimately care what their names are attached to and not some crap of a story line that had to be surgically removed from someones ass, then you will absolutely hate Iron Man 3.

I could sit here all day at my computer and punch holes in this movie but really, what would be the point? If I haven't already changed your mind about seeing this sorry excuse for a movie then nothing else I write will. But if you are still on the fence I will add this, when I think of a superhero movie trilogy right now, the undisputed king of the scene is The Dark Knight trilogy. When I compare and contrast those three films to the Iron man films, it's like putting the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens on the field against your local high school's JV team. In other words, no contest. And while there were a myriad of problems with the Dark Knight movies, if you just compare the character arc of the two main characters, it's almost embarrassing. In this movie, Tony Stark is some anxiety riddled, Zoloft needing man who could really care less about The Mandarin and his terrorists ways until his friend is almost killed. Basically he's the same person in all three films except this time around, he's annoying, and worse.

Like explosions, then this movie will do it for you. Like wise cracks and cute banter, then this movie will make you laugh. Like a bad guy that seems unbeatable by radiating at a 2 to 3000 degree temperature but whose shoes never melt or whose pants never burn off, then you will love the madness that is Aldrich Killian. Like so much CG in your movies that at least six special effect companies were hired to bring Iron Man 3 to life, then you will be in heaven. Like a really bad score by hit or miss composer Brian Tyler who is usually all heroic theme and no melody or nuance, then you'll want to buy this score. If you see this movie and you think it sucks as much as I do, do NOT blame me because I tried to warn you. Don't believe me? Re-read all this again then, and I'll see you at the theater

Mud

Mud, the latest film from director Jeff Nichols is a surprisingly good movie. In limited release, which is understandable because it would get swallowed up the likes of GI Joe or the soon to be released Iron Man 3, Mud has a down home feel, with raw and true emotions. It was a pleasant surprise and because of that, Mud gets three buckets of Killer Korn (with extra butter).





I know Matthew McConaughey gets top billing in Mud but that's a bait and switch. Usually that would ploy would piss people off, seeing the name of someone they are a fan of (not me, I'm saying someone else) as top billing only to buy a ticket, find a seat, and then see that they're favorite actor isn't really the lead. I think that fan would be okay with it in this case, because in this case the real leading man, the real headliner, the real scene stealer is 17 year old Tye Sheridan. In just his second film Tye, who plays the purposeful, idealistic, romantic crusader Ellis carries this film squarely on his back and he does a great job. It actually feels like this movie was written for Tye, that Jeff Nichols, who also wrote the screenplay did so with Tye in mind for Ellis. Ellis is a 14 year old who with his best friend Neckbone, played just right by newcomer Jacob Lofland sneak off in the early morning to see what's become somewhat of an urban legend, a boat up in a tree. Ellis and Neckbone climb aboard and declare the boat theirs, until Ellis realizes that someone is already living there.

The one living in the boat is McConaughey's Mud and he has big plans for that boat. Mud is living on the boat that's stranded out on an island and he's hiding from the law while waiting on Juniper who's played by Reese Witherspoon. Mud sees that boat as their way out and away from everything but it's in bad shape so he strikes a deal with Ellis and Neck to scrounge up the parts needed to get the boat seaworthy again. It's because of the way Mud talks about Juniper, with such love and reverence that Ellis decides to help the outlaw. Back home, Ellis' parents are going through some trying emotional times and are on the verge of a divorce because Ellis' mother Mary Lee, played by Susan Paulson wants to leave the houseboat she's been living on all her life and move inland. Ellis' father Senior, played by Ray McKinnon makes his living on the river and is scared that he's about to lose not only his way of life but his wife and son too.

Because of the turmoil going on at home, something Ellis can't do anything about he dives headfirst into trying to bring Mud and Juniper together. His whole motivation is seeing that those two strangers make it no matter how dangerous that endeavor may be, and it does get dangerous. Mud is not only being pursued by the state troopers, he's also being pursued by the father of the man Mud killed. King, played pitch perfect by veteran Joe Don Baker is menacing at times and at others cold and calculating. He has men sitting on Junipers hotel room, hoping she leads them to Mud as well as having some troopers on his payroll so they are all just waiting for the green light to kill Mud. The final act of the movie is at first touching and moving, then it completely descends into stupidity. Apparently the bad guys skipped "Bad Guy 101". Instead of waiting for Mud to be alone out there on his boat, in the dark, they shoot up Ellis' house trying to get him.

Ellis has a neighbor across the river who, as Mud said "was the closest thing I had to a father". His name is Tom Blankenship, played by the scraggly Sam Shepard and he used to be a sharpshooter for the CIA in a previous life. He and Mud don't see eye to eye on Juniper but he still loves his adopted son and does what he can to help Mud get off of Ellis' houseboat alive. Mud is shot in such a way that you feel the heat and hear the mosquitoes. Cinematographer Adam Stone captures this world in such a way it almost feels like we the audience are intruding on these peoples lives and the score by David Wingo fits Adam's images like a hand in a glove. The music is slow and languid, just like the ever present river in the movie and gives the film a feel of mysticism. Mud may not be Iron Man 3 in terms of budget but it's a solid film with a great new lead actor and I recommend it. I'll see you at the theater.   

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the latest film from accomplished director Mira Nair is an amazing and revealing story of how America makes enemies out of those that love this country. It's a razor sharp story that cuts to the quick about the naked arrogance of America and white men in particular when it comes to those that don't look like them. It's a story I think everyone should see and because of that, I give The Reluctant Fundamentalist three buckets of Killer Korn.




The Reluctant Fundamentalist is directed by one of my all time favorite directors, Mira Nair. Now I have to admit that I lost some faith in her after seeing her last film, the atrocious 2009 Amelia about the determined pilot Amelia Earheart. That film was so bad that I was afraid Mira had lost her skills behind the camera. TRE has restored my faith in her and it's apparent that when Mira feels strongly about the subject matter, her films pack a wallop and when she doesn't, they are entirely forgettable (unless you can't shake bad movies out of your memory, like me). This film undoubtedly packs an emotional wallop the likes of which stay with you long after the movie has ended. Starring the enigmatic and very talented Riz Ahmed as Changez (pronounced Chong-ez), TRE revolves around this man who lives the American dream until 9/11, then he lives the American nightmare, a nightmare many of us can't even imagine.

Starring alongside Riz is an equally talented cast. Keifer Sutherland plays Jim Cross, Changez' boss, Liev Schreiber plays reporter Bobby Lincoln, Kate Hudson plays Changez' girlfriend Erica (who is damaged beyond belief), Nathan Ellis plays Changez' friend and co-worker Wainwright, and the acclaimed Om Puri and Shabana Azmi plays his father, the poet Abu and his mother Ammi respectively. I get the sneaky sensation these actors beat down Mira's door to work with her on this film, how else does one get this much talent together at the same time, in one film. Changez leaves Pakistan and attends Princeton, living the Ivy League life and his grades get him an interview with one of the most respected evaluating companies on the globe, Underwood/Sampson. He's impressing his bosses and climbing the corporate ladder when 9/11 happens, throwing his world into a tailspin.

He heads back to Pakistan, leaving America behind and becomes a University professor. He is then assumed to be behind the kidnapping of a fellow professor and the CIA wants answers. The movie is told in wonderful flashbacks from two different perspectives, the CIA's and Changez'. Inspired by the novel by Moshin Hamid, this story is gritty, violent, and emotionally turbulent. The Reluctant Fundamentalist asks a lot of questions that would make many Americans uncomfortable regarding how they view those who look like those who brought down the towers. It speaks of passing judgement based on how one looks, something we Americans bristle at.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a film definitely worth seeing because not only is it good, it makes you see what others have gone through and continue to go through based on where they are from. It makes you see the world from their eyes in a way that's rarely been done. The score by Michael Andrews is tense and lush and is interspersed with amazing songs by the likes of Atif Aslam, Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammed, and Zahra Khan. The music to this film is as impressive as the performances. My only beef with the film is the way it was shot. Far too many close ups for my taste and while the cast is attractive, it begins to get frustrating after awhile. I think Mira was trying to build the intensity, but the story handles that all on it's own. The movie fails to show the beauty of Pakistan as well but that's a forgivable sin. I highly recommend The Reluctant Fundamentalist and I'll see you at the theater.

In The House

In The House, the latest movie from prolific French director Francois Ozon is a very entertaining film, even if the end leaves you feeling a bit hollow. At times, this film is pure genius and at times it's incredibly predictable, but you forgive those times because of its moments of genius. And it's because of those moments of genius that I give In The House two and a half buckets of Killer Korn.



The premise for In The House sounds like one someone would cook up for a serial killer. A young man sits in a park, sees a house and wonders what it's like inside. He then cooks up a way to get in said house and puts his plan in motion. In America that idea would have been the brainchild of the serial killer, but in France that idea is cooked up by 16 year old Claude Garcia played with brilliant cunning by Ernst Umhauer. Claude is a high school kid who lives with his disabled father, his mother took off when he was nine so Claude does everything for him and his dad. That house he wanted to gain access to was the house of fellow classmate Rapha Artole, played with the precise awkwardness of an unsure, insecure high schooler by Denis Menochet. The two boys share literature and math together and Rapha is horrible at math and Claude figures out that math is the key to unlocking the front door to that house he stared at from the park.

In lit class Claude, Rapha and the rest of their class was given a writing assignment by their teacher Germain, played by the amazingly talented Fabrice Luchini. The writing assignment, the first of the new school year was to tell what you did last weekend. While most of the class wrote papers that said nothing, Claude's paper caught the eye of his teacher and the teachers wife Jeanne, played by the beautiful Kristin Scott Thomas (whom I did not know spoke fluent French, learn something new everyday). Claude's paper explains how he wanted in the house, gained entry due to Rapha's poor math skills and he becoming his unofficial tutor, and then catching that unmistakable "scent of a middle class woman". Claude ends his assignment with "to be continued" and Germain sees some real talent in Claude and he's curious about what else is coming. Initially he wants Claude to stop but it's too late, he sucked in and does whatever he can to keep the two boys together, even to the detriment of his own job.

Now honestly, the reason I wanted to see this film was for one scene, just one scene that made my eyebrows raise when I saw it in the trailer. Claude was in bed with Germain's wife Jeanne and I HAD to find out how that happened. I HAD to know if that was real or imagined. That scene made me buy a ticket so the trailer did it's job, well done. While it is not visually stunning, In The House is scored beautifully by Philipe Rombi. The musical cues and melodic piano accompaniment gave this movie a more delicate feel which was nice. Overall the film does not dissapoint except the ending, but if you can forgive the empty, overly contrived ending then you will enjoy In The House as I did. I'll see you at the theater my friends.

Filly Brown

Filly Brown, the somewhat predictable yet emotionally powerful film from directors Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos tells the story of a Mexican American family in turmoil in Los Angeles. One particular member is trying to make a name for herself in the hip hop game so you see the pitfalls coming from a mile away, the only real saving grace for this film was the lead actress, Gina Rodriguez and it's only because of her that I give Filly Brown two and a half buckets of Killer Korn.




If you don't care for hip hop or the everyday trials and tribulations of Mexican Americans doing what they can to make ends meet in sunny Los Angeles, then just skip Filly Brown because that's pretty much all this film is about. The amazing gem of the film though is Gina Rodriguez who plays Majo (pronounced Maho) Tonorio, the would be next female superstar in the hip hop stratosphere and matriarch of her family. She is a powerhouse in this movie and incredibly hard to take your eyes off of. Majo is street smart, protective of her family, and swiftly and viciously violent should any harm come to those she loves, not to mention her skills on the mic. Gina carries this movie across the finish line in such a way that one cannot be but impressed with her performance.

Starring alongside her are icons of the Latino artistic community. Her father Jose is played by Lou Diamond Phillips, her uncle Mani is played by Emilio Rivera, Big Cee is played by Noel Gugliemi, Edward James Olmos plays Leandro the lawyer, and Jenni Rivera, in her last role before her untimely death in a plane crash plays Majo's mother Maria Tonorio. This is a truly great cast and it's just unfortunate all this talent is saddled with such a trite story line. Maria is in jail for ten years on a drug charge but was a talented poet back in her youth. She sends Majo, who is a recent visitor to a web radio show to show her skills on the mic a poem. Majo decides she's going to rap her mothers poem on the mic and it's so good that it catches the eye of small time promoter Caeser. Caeser then brings her to the attention to Big Cee and that's when things REALLY get predictable.

Majo signs a contract with Big Cee and then after all the talk about not turning her back on her friends and how they are going to do music that matters and how she wasn't going to sell out, she did everything opposite. She tried to justify it by rationalizing it all on the fact that her mother owed three thousand to some dealer because she's using again, while in prison. Then the poem her mother sent Majo was already owned by someone and that person was now suing Big Cee, Majo's reputation is in the dirt and on top of that, Big Cee's other artist takes a vicious beating by Majo's hand because he assaulted her sister Lupe played by Chrissie Fit. The walls closed in around Majo and the only way she knew how to make it right was to get back on the mic and set the story straight. When she does, it's an amazingly powerful moment and you forgive all the previous sins of the movie.

I don't know if two directors helped or hindered this movie in any way, but I do know that without Gina, Filly Brown would have been dead on arrival. The music by Reza Safinia is forgettable and there were some really interesting moments visually but there weren't enough of them. This film doesn't know if it wants to be an 8 Mile or a family drama and I think it was that indecision that ultimately puts a drag on it. Like I stated, if you like don't like hip hop or don't care about the stories of Mexican-Americans then skip Filly Brown, but if you like either one of those subjects then this is the movie for you. Enjoy and I'll see you at the theater.