The Lunchbox

The Lunchbox, the first full length feature film from writer/director Ritesh Batra is a movie that sheds light on a somewhat unknown aspect of Indian culture, the complicated lunch delivery system. It's a heartwarming tale surrounded by that system and how every now and then, getting the wrong lunch can be a good thing. I enjoyed The Lunchbox and I feel it's earned three buckets of Killer Korn.











First off I have to ask, is every woman in India beautiful? I know they all aren't but the ones in the film and television industry are absolutely stunning and the female lead in The Lunchbox is no exception. Nimrat Kaur plays the lonely housewife Ila, whose marriage is going nowhere fast, so on the advice of her auntie voice from the apartment above, she decides to spice up her husbands lunch. Doing so in the hopes that the food reignites his passion for her. Her husband returns home to his wife and daughter and doesn't even look at her, yet the tiffin box that held his lunch came back completely empty. She has no idea that her food was delivered to the wrong address and eaten by a widower on the verge of retirement. Saajan Fernandes, played by one of my favorite actors Irrfan Kahn is a man that seems content to just fade into the background and let life pass him by, until he eats Ila's food.

Mistaking it for the food that comes from the restaurant that he places his order with, he congratulates the restaurant, who's food is actually going to Ila's husband. When Ila realizes her husband is not getting her food she includes a small note in the lunch and the correspondence between the two lonely souls begins. Ila now has someone she can confide in other than her hilarious auntie from up above, and Saajan can dispense the wisdom he has acquired in life to someone who actually appreciates it. The humor in The Lunchbox comes from Saajan's eventual replacement, Shaikh who is played exuberantly by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Shaikh is so appreciative to be training under Saajan that he begins to annoy the older gentleman, but through his correspondence with Ila, Saajan begins to open up to Shaikh and even begins to share his delicious lunches with him.

The Lunchbox is a wonderfully charming film filled with longing, loss, and love. The performances are exceptional and while you may hope for a better ending on screen, in your imagination you can conjure up the ending you want, which I thought was brilliant. There's not much in the way of being impressed by the look of the film. Crowded, cluttered, and cramped are the adjectives that come to mind, but it's that that makes you wonder how more mistakes by the Dabbawalas, the lunch delivery men don't occur, or do they? There is a very funny scene where one of the Dabbawalas is arguing with Ila about their delivery system and he states a man from Harvard came and said their system is perfect so they couldn't have delivered the lunch to the wrong person, because Harvard and the King both vouch for them. The music by Max Richter is subtle which is the perfect touch for this film, a film that practically needs no music. I highly recommend The Lunchbox, it is worth seeing, just make sure you see it on a full stomach and I'll see you at the theater.

www.markericentertainment.com

  

Bad Words

Bad Words, the first film directed by Jason Bateman is an interesting one. In the hands of a more accomplished director this film could have been something special, in the hands of Jason, it was...meh. A few first time director mistakes somewhat muted my enjoyment of an interesting premise, but because that premise is so gripping and funny, I give Bad Words two and a half buckets of Killer Korn.












Who knew Jason Bateman could be so good at playing a dick? I sure didn't but in Bad Words, his directorial debut, that's exactly what he plays. And he does it with panache. Jason plays Guy Trilby, a bitter, disgruntled, proof reader who through the motions of crushing children's hopes and pissing off a horde of parents as he makes his way through them like a hot knife through blah blah blah. He is a man that finds a loophole in the rule book, exploits it, and decides to participate in a regional spelling bee in Ohio that would send the winner to the national spelling bee. He is unrepentant, unremoresful, and vicious in his attempt to beat out kids who have worked so hard and studied so much to get to where they are. Needless to say the parents want him drawn and quartered.

Guy makes it to the national spelling bee, the first one to be televised across the country so the man in charge, Dr. Bowman played by the seasoned Phillip Baker Hall wants everything to go perfectly. Guy throws a huge monkey wrench into that program every chance he gets which prompts Bowman to apply pressure to the president of the spelling bee, Dr. Bernice Deagan, played hilariously by the incomparable Allison Janney to get rid of Guy. She does something not exactly above board to make that happen but nothing can derail the freight train that is Guy. The man is on a mission and all this is being observed by Jenny Widgeon, play by the hilarious Kathryn Hahn, a reporter from a local paper that's financing this escapade for the exclusive story (the sex scene between Guy and Jenny...priceless). The heart of this story comes in the form of one of Guy's competitors, little Chaitanya Chopra, played by the charming and talented Rohan Chand. Because Chai's dad has an odd way of trying to toughen his son up, Guy eventually warms up to the kid and takes him under his wing. The ending of the movie, where you find out Guy's reasons for wanting to win the spelling bee, and the development of his friendship with Chai is definitely rewarding.

Written by first time scribe Andrew Dodge, Bad Words is searing in its humor and balanced by its heart. My issues with the movie on a whole is the look and the pacing. Bad Words looked like it was filmed by someone who forgot to take the filters off the lens. It was dark and muddy at times when it should have been bright and colorful. The music by the amazing Rolfe Kent is perfect, it matches Guy's moods and attitude perfectly so well done to you Mr. Kent. Bad Words is not a must see, but if you do see I have no doubt that you will be entertained like I was. I'll see you at the theater.

www.markericentertainment.com

Locke

Locke, the latest film from writer/director Steven Knight was a HUGE, no wait, that's not big enough, how about MONUMENTAL disappointment? Yeah, that about sums up this God awful waste of time. Anytime the trailer is better than the actual film, you know you as a director have created the stinker of the year. Thus far that dubious title belongs to this atrociously stupid film and for that I give Locke NO Korn (and barely any kernels).











This review will not be long because this movie is THAT BAD! It makes no sense, well that's not true, it does make sense, you as the audience however just don't give a damn about halfway through. I was tempted to walk out myself and had I not paid for my ticket, I would have. The only thing this movie has going for it is the man who plays Ivan Locke and that is the incredibly talented Tom Hardy. Because I am a Hardy fan, and the trailer was so interesting, I couldn't wait to lay eyes on this one man show. The fuckers got me. I blame Tom for reading the script and still agreeing to be in this movie. He must have either had nothing better to do, or he and director Steven Knight must be the best of friends (or Steven has naked pictures with Tom and barnyard animals in compromising positions and threatened to release them). That's the only explanation I could come up with as to why Tom agreed to play Locke, a steady, pretty much boring family man with a steady, pretty much boring job who makes one mistake, and because of his dead dad, chooses to throw EVERYTHING away.

Do NOT see Locke, enjoy the highly entertaining trailer below and let that be as close as you come to seeing this movie, and I'll see you at the theater.

www.markericentertainment.com

Hank and Asha

Hank and Asha, the film debut from writer/director James E. Duff is a wonderful look at how relationships can take shape in today's world. It's reminiscent of Before Sunrise, and just as that movie spawned two more films, hopefully Hank and Asha will do the same. I didn't want the movie to end and because of that I give Hank and Asha three and a half buckets of Killer Korn.













Hank and Asha starts off out of the blue, with Asha, played by the truly beautiful Mahira Kakkar sending Hank a video message after seeing his film at a film festival in Prague. She was impressed by his work and were he at the film festival, she would have invited him out for coffee afterward, but since he was back in NYC, she tracked down his contact information and sent him a video. She swore she wasn't stalking him, that she was a student filmmaker in Prague studying film and was curious about him, and his process. Hank, played charmingly by Andrew Pastides, being the gentleman sent her a video message back and so began their interplay. Asha through multiple videos told Hank all about herself and her love for film, about her imagination, her hopes, and her dreams. She also told him about her culture and what her life may be like in the coming years.

Hank returned the favor, sending Asha videos of him at work, in his super tiny NY apartment, him out on the town in different bars and eateries, he allows Asha into his world. He tells her how he got to where he is, how he ran like hell from the small town where he was from where he was expected to run the family business and how that was the last thing he wanted to do. Eventually the two fall for each other and have the desire to want to meet and they decide on Paris after Asha extols the beauty of Prague but how it still doesn't measure up to Paris. With her being on a seriously strict budget, Hank sends her a plane ticket to Paris to meet him. Sadly that's when the trouble starts. Asha tells Hank something that he pretends doesn't crush him and he continues to act as if everything is fine, that they can meet in Paris as friends, nothing more. But as Hanks videos become more biting and somewhat vitriolic, Asha has a change of heart.

Hank and Aasha was so lovely that I didn't want it to end, and that's a film with just two people in the cast for the most part and not a lick of music. Hank plays Asha a song but that's it. I didn't mind that one bit because the writing was simply superb. Written by James E. Duff and Julia Morrison, the dialogue was fantastic, heartwarming, and inviting. The characters don't just open up to each other but to the viewer as well, and when things go south, you feel their pain. The movie was left open for a follow up and I seriously hope one is coming. I would love to see more, hear more, know more about these characters and if you get the chance to see Hank and Asha, I'm sure you will too. I'll see you at the theater.

www.markericentertainment.com

Draft Day

Draft Day, the latest movie from one of my all time favorite directors, Ivan Reitman is a complete and utter bore. The world could have continued spinning if this movie had not been made and no one would have felt cheated in the slightest way. It's a yawn inducing movie with a really bad bait and switch, and the switch is so unlikely that it borders on the ridiculous. Because of that, I give Draft Day one bucket of Killer Korn.











I am a football fanatic. I love the game and play fantasy football pretty much every season. I know the ins and outs of the off season and the comings and goings during the regular season. I have my favorite team who I pull for (I won't get into that here), I do watch the draft, and I even watch the combine. I say all that to say I know the game in all it's beautiful and flawed facets, so while watching Draft Day I realized one thing, this movie is not for people like me. The hardcore football lover will laugh and snicker and maybe even boo this movie, and it earns all such derision.

Draft Day takes place in one day, draft day. It follows Kevin Costner's Sonny Weaver Jr., the General Manager of the sorry Cleveland Browns. If you've seen the trailer you pretty much knew that going in, what that switch is that I mentioned above is the amazingly weak romance between Sonny and Jennifer Garner's character Ali. First off, there is absolutely NO chemistry between the two actors, and secondly the whole romance feels like it was put together and thrown in at the last minute. It just didn't feel organic and it came across as if the writers wondered what else they could throw into the script to give it heft.

I am not a big Costner fan because basically the man can't act anymore. He used to be a fine actor when he was younger, and if the Kevin Costner who played Jake in Silverado showed up, this movie would have been far more interesting to watch. Instead this movie is saddled with and the viewer is subjected to an actor who looks like he wants to retire. We get the same old Costner, hands on the hips, frustrated, and the same facial expression throughout. How would a woman as lovely as Ali fall for a schlub like Sonny? She wouldn't and yet, the director, producers, and the writers want us to buy this garbage plot line while Sonny wheels and deals on the most important day of any football team.

And when I say wheel and deal, I mean make a deal no GM would ever THINK about making. I almost dropped my popcorn (and you all know how I feel about my popcorn) when the big trade is made. Any GM that makes the deal Sonny does in this film would be run out of town by fans wielding torches and pitchforks, then they would burn down the facilities. This movie was clearly written by people who either don't like football or don't know it. Draft Day was just all over the place, it lacked focus and purpose which makes it in my opinion a truly bad film. I have heard some comparing this film to Brad Pitt's amazing Moneyball and that is just blatant disrespect for Moneyball. The two have absolutely nothing in common, not to mention one was a true story and one was a complete waste of time. Sadly the NFL hitched it's cart to a sickly horse that won't pull it's cart to the market. I say skip Draft Day, wait for the real draft because it will be imminently more interesting than the movie and enjoy the wings. I'll see you at the theater.

And be sure to visit me at MarkEricEntertainment.com

    

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the latest film by Anthony and Joe Russo is a very good improvement over their Captain America: The First Avenger, and in my opinion that wasn't hard to do. Whereas the fist Captain America movie was a boring snooze-fest, this latest foray into Steve Rogers wasn't all that much better. I found it to be lazy and uninspired and because the only thing I liked about this movie was the score, I give Captain America: The Winter Soldier one and a half buckets of Killer Korn.









Now maybe this is Marvels doing or the writers but there was never a time in this film where I felt Captain America wasn't going to win. There was never a moment where I felt the outcome wasn't in doubt, that Steve Rogers life, The Black Widows life, or for that matter Nick Fury's life was in danger. Now again, who do I blame for the anticlimactic feel of this movie? Is it Marvel who announced weeks before this movie that they are going to be releasing Captain America 3 on 5/6/16, so you know he doesn't die, no matter how hairy the situation may be or how bad ass the Winter Soldier is, or do I blame the writers? As a writer myself I feel it is my responsibility to tell a good story and to keep the reader entertained. The onus is on me to take the reader from pillar to post and back again, to keep the pages turning, for the reader to hate when the book ends and to make them want to start it all over again. As a writer, I am God, crafting a universe of substance out of nothing, and this is the reason I say the writers of Captain America: The Winter Soldier delivered a lazy and uninspired story, saved only by big explosions, massive shootouts, great fight sequences, and chase scenes (both by foot, car, and in the air). Remove that and you have something seen before and done a million times before that falls flat. Seriously, if you didn't see Nick coming back to life then you've never read Romeo and Juliet.

The writers of this cash grab are Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Ed Brubaker. These three men should send back their checks because while Captain was entertaining on the basic levels, it completely failed to connect emotionally. Those three men were probably hampered by the Captain America comic book storylines which never seemed to grab anyone in the first place so why not change things up a bit, the average viewer would never know and you don't hurt the Cap franchise since Avengers 2: The Age of Ultron will have Cap in it anyway? Why bring back relics from Caps past? Hydra? REALLY? Couldn't come up with something better than to have Captain fight Hydra all over again? Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier, not looking a day over however old he was when he was dropped from the train in The First Avenger. Was he given the same Captain America, woolly mammoth frozen in ice treatment too? I was expecting the Red Skull to pop back up on the screen, I mean why not?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has made a ton of money so far, and it's gotten rave reviews, which makes me wonder what movie the critics were watching but I digress. The only good thing about this film is they replaced composer Alan Silvestri with Henry Jackman who delivers a masterful score. It's tense, dark, light, poignant, and heroic. Simply put, it tries to deliver the emotional punch the film fails too and it is masterful. Where Silvestri was over the top with the heroic themes, Jackman toed that fine line of hero worship with mournful horns, poignant piano, and energizing synths. There was no bombast here, just a sturdy score which was unfortunately married to a really uninspired film. I'm sure I stand alone in that camp, but that's fine with me. I refuse to be spoon fed garbage and say it taste delicious because everyone else on the planet says it's so. We are all snowflakes, individuals with our own opinions, and mine is Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a tepid waste of your time and a movie you should skip and save for video.


 

Need For Speed

Need For Speed, the latest from director Scott Waugh, the man that brought to the screen the half documentary, half fictitious military film Act of Valor brings a high energy, slick looking car racing film that amazingly isn't all that bad. While the acting is over the top at times, the stars of this movie aren't the actors but the cars, and the cars shine. Because of that, I give Need For Speed three buckets of Killer Korn.












With his first foray into big budgeted Hollywood films after his memorable run in the TV show Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul, who plays Tobey Marshall is a charming mechanic/street racer from Mt. Kisco. A sleepy little town that still has a drive in, if you can believe that. Aaron Paul is not a great actor, in fact I have my doubts if he's even a good one, which is evident by his performance in this movie. What he is right now though is a hot actor which is how he landed this role in the first place. I'm sure the producers on this film are hoping all Aaron's fans from Breaking will come and watch him sit behind the wheel of some amazing cars and drive, because that's basically all he does. He drives and he rarely talks, and when he does talk, it's pretty much all cliche drivel that pours out of his mouth. It's not just him though, the entire cast is also prone to overact due to being saddled with cringe worthy dialogue, but what do you expect from a movie inspired by a video game, Shakespeare?

Written by (and I use that term loosely here) the brothers Gatins, John and George, the story is one of revenge and redemption, with really bad dialogue. The revenge comes in when Tobey's good friend and brother of his ex-girlfriend Pete, played by Harrison Gilbertson is killed while street racing against Tobey and the bad guy of the film Dino Brewster, played by Dominic Cooper. Tobey does time for a crime he didn't commit and is hell bent on making sure Dino pays for what he did to Pete. Tobey and his crew of misfit mechanics Benny, played by Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi, Finn, played by Rami Malek, and Joe, played by Ramon Rodriguez are all reunited when Tobey is released and they figure the best way to get back at Dino is to race him in an exclusive race thrown by Monarch, played by Michael Keaton who does his best to make the corny dialogue sound convincing. He fails but again, the stars of the show are the cars and they don't fail at all.

A Lamborghini Elemento, a Shelby Mustang, a Saleena S7 Twin Turbo, a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, and three Koenigsegg Agera R's tear up the roads in marvelous fashion in Need. They are what makes this movie worth watching if you are a car person. Even if you aren't a car person, it's hard to not be impressed with the array of exotic cars that litter the screen, and the driving  is very impressive with the exception of a few unrealistic stunts. Get past those and Need For Speed truly does keep you entertained.

The cinematography by Shane Hurlbut is well done, he captures the cars in their full throaty glory as they rip past cameras or drift around corners perfectly. The look of the film is soft, there are no hard edges and the color palette is very easy on the eyes. The score by Nathan Furst, who also did the music for Valor creates a score that kept me humming it for days afterwards, which rarely happens, if ever. It was the perfect accompaniment to the images on the screen. In my opinion, this movie is what Fast And Furious used to be but has failed to deliver on for the past six movies (I'm counting Fast 7 that's currently in production). I highly recommend Need For Speed if you want a good time and I'll see you at the theater.