Not Your Average Love Story..."Tumbledown"

Tumbledown  (2015)

Rated R

Starring Rebecca Hall, Jason Sudeikis, Joe Manganiello, Blythe Danner, Griffin Dunne,

Directed by Sean Mewshaw

The Story:

Hannah (Hall) is trying to get past the passing of her husband, an acclaimed folk musician, and she's attempting to do that by writing a biography about his life. Andrew (Sudeikis) is a writer from New York who is also a big fan of her husband's work, and is also working on writing a biography. Oil meets water and the two clash over just what the musician meant to Hannah and to the fans.

This is an interesting romantic dramedy that is a very, very slow burn in development.

Hannah and Andrew clearly are at odds when they first meet, and a romance between the two is the last thing you're expecting...

except for the fact that you're totally expecting it, because that's why the movie is here.

It's what the two discover when they begin working together that changes their preconceived notions about the man they are both writing about and the two end up working together to make one really good book.

Sudeikis continues to shine as a leading or supporting actor in films. He dials down his usual personality  to about an 8 (versus an 11!) and it helps sell the film. He may be unliked by Hannah, but he's not unlikable.

Hall does a fine job as the widow who doesn't quite know how to let go, and doesn't really want to either.

Final Grade:  C+

Sentient Computers...What Could Go Wrong? "Transcendence"

Transcendence (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Cole Hauser, Morgan Freeman

Directed by Wally Pfister

The Story:

Will Caster (Depp) is a brilliant scientist who thinks that an Artificial Intelligence could become a sentient being if allowed to be uploaded onto the internet.  His best friend (Bettany) warns that it is a dangerous proposition.  When cyber-terrorists cause Caster's death, his essence is uploaded onto his program.

What could possibly go wrong?

Haven't people seen War Games? The Terminator?

Computers = Bad

This movie = Not that great.

The problem, well, I 'll start at the beginning.

When you have a voice-over that says, in essence, a few years ago, before we lost everything...

So, you get the idea of where the movie is going to go, and how it's going to get there.

No surprises. No intrigue.

It simply happens.

Zzzzz.


Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: None at all.

"Lay the Favorite" in the Do Not Watch Pile

It sounded good on paper...

The Story:

Beth (Rebecca Hall) comes to Vegas to work as a cocktail waitress.  She instead gets hired by Dink (Bruce Willis) to help him with his gambling business.  This doesn't sit well with Dink's wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who wants the girl out of their lives.  Yet she seems to be helping Dink make some serious cash, so Dink is torn...  and the movie keeps going...

I don't know what to say about this one.

So yesterday, Bruce Willis is barely in a direct to DVD outing that is actually pretty good.
Today, he's in a direct to DVD movie that is a rambling mess.

Not funny enough to be a comedy.
Not dramatic enough to be a drama.

Not anything really.  I wouldn't even call it a dramedy. 

The acting chops of Willis, Zeta-Jones and Vince Vaughn are all for naught in this film.

I ended up watching this at 1.5x, and it still took forever to finish.

Save your time, save your queue rotation... skip this one.

Final Grade: D+

Would I Own It: I wouldn't bet on it.  You see what I did there?  That's funnier than any joke in this movie.  True story!