It's Called T.M.I. For A Reason..."Thanks For Sharing"

Thanks For Sharing (2012)

Rated R

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Gywneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Josh Gad, Joely Richardson, Patrick Fugit, Pink,

Directed by Stuart Blumberg

The Story:

Adam (Ruffalo) meets Phoebe (Paltrow) and the two really hit it off. It's the first girl he's been seriously interested in, possibly ever. She tells him up front that she just has to make sure she never dates another guy who's an addict. No problem...

Except Adam is addicted to sex, and is in year 5 of his recovery.

And there you have the basis for one of the most  unusual, yet compelling romantic dramedies that you're likely to see.

Supporting Ruffalo are Robbins as his sponsor, and he is saddled with issues of his own and his family (Richardson & Fugit).

Then there is Josh Gad as a leacherous member of their group who doesn't seem to want to even change, but ends up having possibly the biggest storyline changes of them all by the end of the film.

The movie wisely incorporates these addtional stories to make a fuller movie instead of one that just concentrates soley on Phoebe & Adam's relationship. It allows the focus to shift and not just burn the audience out on a love story.

There were a few hiccups along the way that keep this movie from being a must-see, but the cast makes you empathize with them and want to see it through to the end.

Final Grade:  B

Set Those DVRs..."Welcome To Me"

Welcome to Me (2015)

Rated R

Starring Kristen Wiig, Linda Cardellini, Joan Cusack, James Marsden, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Robbins,

Directed by Shira Piven

The Story:

Alice Klieg (Wiig) has issues. When she ends up winning the lottery, she decides to take her winnings to a television station that makes infomercials and create her own talk show. The show is a trainwreck, yet begins to draw an audience. As her new form of therapy, Alice is about to bare her soul to the world and maybe learn a few things about herself in the process.

I don't know, this is one of those movies that is impossible to describe accurately.

A dramedy, to be sure, Alice suffers from borderline personality disorder.  Apparently this is a real thing that a lot of people suffer from, and reading some reviews around the internet, apparently Wiig nails the disorder perfectly and did indeed provide some therapeutic relief for many people who were able to go, "that...that's me!"

The supporting cast, and it is a great one, do just that, they support Wiig fully. While at first the station is eager to get their hands on the money, most of the workers there end up caring a great deal about Alice as her life unspools before them.

Get ready for a quirky experience.

Available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C+

It's Fairly Easy To Resort To A "Life Of Crime"

Life of Crime (2013)

Rated R

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Mos Def, Tim Robbins, Isla Fisher, Will Forte, John Hawkes

Directed by Daniel Schechter

The Story:

2 Detroit hoods (Def & Hawkes) hatch a scheme to kidnap the wife (Aniston) of a local businessman (Robbins) and ransom her for a million dollars. However, he was planning on divorcing her anyway, and enjoying the company of another woman (Fisher). As he has no intention of paying...things just got complicated.

So basically, this is Ruthless People, as penned by the late, great Elmore Leonard.

It's not as funny, though there are some funny bits.

It's actually more ruthless, but only a bit.

Not up to the excellent standards of Get Shorty or Justified, but a watchable caper that builds slowly as several characters are caught up in the tangled threads of the story.

Loyalties and alliances shift throughout the film until it all comes to an end.

They got the look and feel of the 70s down pat with the cars, houses and clothing.

The problem with Elmore Leonard adaptations with great casts, you come to expect more than just a typical movie.

Sadly, at the end of the day, this winds up being just an average tale that will become forgettable.


Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nah, I think this was a one-hit wonder. Now I feel like watching Get Shorty again though. :)

Everything Sounds Better On Vinyl..."High Fidelity"

High Fidelity (2000)

Rated R for language

Starring John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, Todd Louiso, Joan Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tim Robbins

Directed by Stephen Frears

The Story:

Rob Gordon (Cusack) has been dumped by the latest love of his life, Laura (Hjejle) and is moving in with former neighbor, Ian (Robbins).  This drives Rob nuts, and through a series of flashbacks and breaking the 4th wall narratives, we are going to relive much of Rob's life as he counts down the Top 5 Break-Ups in his life.

So you start with a romantic comedy, but in addition to that, there is Rob's job as the owner of a record shop, and his two employees Barry (Black) and Dick (Louiso) that power those moments in between the break-up stories, and probably cement this as more of a guys movie, than a date movie.

I would say it's also the film that propelled Jack Black into stardom.  Up until this movie, he was a bit player in lots of things, and he had Tenacious D, but I would say it was his hilarious performance as Barry, the guy has all the best lines in the movie, that made him a star.  Within 2 years, he was headlining movies after this.

The star of the film of course is John Cusack.

Top 5 Favorite John Cusack Films:

1) Better Off Dead
2) Grosse Pointe Blank
3) Con Air ~  Con Air Review!
4) One Crazy Summer
5) High Fidelity

I can put any of these films in to watch any time, and I'm good to go.

Wait a minute...

I've just learned that my wife doesn't even like High Fidelity that much.

Head...spinning...

I feel as if I've been living a lie for nearly 15 years.

I need to go sit down and relax.

Apparently I won't be relaxing by watching High Fidelity... at least for now.

:)

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I try and watch this one every year or so.  Absolutely love it.  Learning that my wife doesn't find it nearly as funny as I do now has me trying to find a new Top 5 John Cusack movies to watch with her!

: /

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 6 ~ The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption.

Easily, one of the greatest movies ever made.  That's why it's way up here at # 6, even though, like many dramas, it doesn't get the required multiple viewings a year that many of the other movies on this list enjoy.

It's still that good and powerful a movie that it deserves a spot on the top 10 just for being.

How do you sum up Shawshank?

Let's try...

A successful banker, Andy, is accused of murdering his wife and her lover and is sent to Shawshank.  He maintains his innocence, which as he finds out soon enough, so does every convict on the inside.  There he meets Red, a fellow inmate.  They strike up a friendship, that like the movie, follows them for the remainder of their life together in prison.

That should just scratch the surface, but sometimes a surface scratching is all you need.

The power in this film, based on a story by Stephen King, and written and directed by Frank Darabont lies in what Darabont provided: A great script with great actors.

Tim Robbins greatest role as the sullen Andy.  He maintains his innocence throughout, and even the audience is left wondering could he really be innocent or did he really do it?  Then of course there is Morgan Freeman.  There is a mathematical Hollywood equation that basically makes the greatness of your film exponentially better with the inclusion of Morgan Freeman.  In a career full of memorable parts, Red may well be his finest.

To say any more about this film will spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it...

And I know my oldest 3 have not, but someday soon they shall.

Of course my choice of images may not have helped in the spoiler department. : )

And with that... 95 movies down... the Final 5 to go.  Thanks to everyone who has popped in to read these ramblings or just the Facebook blurbs over the last 95 days.  I hope I didn't waste too much of your time.  It's almost over, and then it's back to looking at the film that are coming in by way of Netflix.