How To "Get A Job" In The 21st Century

Get a Job (2016)

Rated R

Starring Miles Teller, Anna Kendrick, Bryan Cranston, Alison Brie, Marcia Gay Harden, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jorge Garcia, Nicholas Braun,

Directed by Dylan Kidd

The Story:

Will (Teller), Jillian (Kendrick) and their friends are done with college and ready to set forth into their careers and life. Except they are all about to learn that life is never easy and whatever you thought you had planned, hopefully you wrote it down in pencil or dry erase marker.

This is an odd duck of a movie.

Apparently it was trapped in limbo for several years before it was finally released, seemingly direct to DVD.

Which is a shame, as the movie has a wonderful ensemble cast and it tackles the tough job of finding employment and balancing a life, whether it's straight out of college, or in the case of Will's father (Cranston) when he is suddenly let go and has to start over again.

The stories are a little disjointed, and could have used a tighter narrative to join them all together, but at the end of the day you have a cast of really likeable characters that are faced with the prospect of growing and learning or running and hiding.

The cast is essentially what makes this movie, and every character, from the leads to the supporting characters make the most of their personalities and screen time and will win you over as the movie rolls along.

You'll be proud of the choices they make, and while there may be "all happily ever aftered with a big bow on the end", it's just the sort of ending you would want them, or yourself, to have.

Can't beat that.

Final Grade:  C+

These Ladies Like To Party..."How To Be Single"

How To Be Single (2016)

Rated R

Starring Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Alison Brie, Anders Holm, Damon Wayans Jr., Nicholas Braun, Jake Lacy, Jason Mantzoukas,

Directed by Christian Ditter

The Story:

Alice (Johnson) has been dumped by her boyfriend (Braun), so she sets out to get over him with a new job, new friends, and a new attitude in New York City! Her circle of friends include Robin (Wilson), Meg (Mann), and Lucy (Brie) each with their own foibles and crises. Of course, in a town full of eligible bachelors, they ladies run into some interesting characters as well (Holm, Wayans Jr., Lacy, Mantzoukas). But, just when you think you know how these relationships are going to end, stick around, because you might be pleasantly surprised...or disappointed!

It's a tough line to balance an R rated comedy that wants to have both raunch and heart, and this film is no different.

Thankfully, it's a fantastic cast, so it's easy to laugh with, and at, their predicaments.

I won't spoil which couples work and which ones don't, because that's half the fun of the film is watching these characters learn to realize what is most important to them, and who do they want to spend their time with.

Another nice touch, as the film is focused on the ladies as the stars, the guys come off rather well, upending some cliches that often are standard with romantic comedy fare.

As usual, Jason Mantzoukas kills it in every scene he's in. I'm not sure if he'll ever be the lead in a comedy, but as long as they keep casting him as a supporting player, I'll always give that movie a chance!

It's a little long for a comedy, but not unbearably so. There's a bit of wandering in the narrative as well, which seems like a 2 birds with one stone killing could have made a few of the issues go away.


Final Grade: C+

The War In Afghanistan..."Whiskey Tango Foxtrot "

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

Rated R

Starring Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, Christopher Abbott, Billy Bob Thornton, Nicholas Braun, Evan Jonigkeit

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

The Story:

In 2003, the war in Iraq has pulled all of the world's major journalists there to cover the story. Turning to whatever resources they have left, new reporters are sent to Afghanistan to cover that story. Kim Baker (Fey) is selected and heads to Afghanistan even though she's never worked in front of the camera before. However, her inquisitive nature and determination help her immensely as she befriends her colleagues, the military and the Afghan locals.

Yes, this is a true story.

And while there are many amusing things that happen, this falls more along the dramedy realm than a straight up zany Tina Fey movie.

So make sure you know that going in, or you too may think..."Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?!"
Or some equivalent.
:)

Had Tina Fey written it, it's likely it would have been even funnier, but sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, and there is plenty of that to go around in the film.

She's surrounded with some wonderful supporting characters, especially Christopher Abbott as her interpreter and Billy Bob Thornton as General Hollanek.

Along the way, Kim uncovers the cold truth about the war: while Americans love and support the military, they just don't want to see it, or the harsh realities of war played out on the television nightly.

That was true then in 2006, when everyone was tired of it.

A decade later, it's sadly even more true.

Final Grade: B

So Much Horrific Goodness... "Freaks Of Nature"

Freaks of Nature (2015)

Rated R

Starring Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Denis Leary, Ed Westwick, Vanessa Hudgens, Keegan-Michael Key, Patton Oswalt, Bob Odenkirk, Joan Cusack, Ian Roberts, Rachel Harris, Mae Whitman, Chris Zylka

Directed by Robbie Pickering

The Story:

Welcome to Dillford, home of the riblet. Mmm, mmm, good! It also happens to be a town where humans, vampires and zombies all peacefully coexist, though there are bound to be some temperamental flare ups now and then. However an alien invasion has put its sights on Dillford (and the riblet!) and the uneasy peace is destroyed and now it's human vs. vampire vs. zombie, none of the groups aware of the existence of the alien menace. It's up to 3 teenagers to restore peace and save the world... or die trying!

I've been lucky so far this year with some great additions to the horror-comedy genre.

I'd never heard of Freaks of Nature before, so I gave it a whirl.

I'm so glad I did!

First, the cast is phenomenal and they get some hilarious dialogue throughout the film. Usually I stop at the main cast, or sometimes add a bit player or two, but I decided to just rattle off the full cast today. Whether they were on screen for the entire movie or just a minute or two, they all add to the rich texture of the story and provide momentum for the story progression.

The three main members of the cast are Dag (Braun) a human, Petra (Davis) who becomes a vampire shortly after the movie begins, and Ned (Fadem) who winds up becoming a zombie. These three band together to figure out what is happening with their town, and as they are all new to being non-human (save Dag), they don't hold the longstanding grudges that their communities have towards one another.

Yes, in a way, there's a bit of social commentary that can be found in the middle of a horror comedy if  you're not looking, so be careful, you could laugh AND learn something.

It's a fun story, the special effects are top-notch, and it's just a lot of fun from start to finish.

So far, this has been my favorite horror film of the year. :)

Final Grade: B+ / A- range.