Greenberg (2010)

Tags

Ben Stiller, Chris Messina, Comedy, Drama, Greenberg, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Movie, Rhys Ifans, Romance

yep, shoulda been called Marr...

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Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Messina

Roger Greenberg: Dear Starbucks…In your attempt to manufacture culture out of fast food coffee, you’ve been surprisingly successful…for the most part.  The part that isn’t covered by “the most part” sucks.

After getting out of a mental institution, Roger Greenberg (Stiller) goes to California to house sit for his brother while he’s out of the country.  Roger meets and starts up an odd relationship with his brother’s younger assistant, Florence (Gerwig), while also dealing with resurfacing feelings for an old flame, Beth (Leigh).

In every comedic actor’s life, there comes a time when they must decide to take on a more dramatic role that still has a bit of dark humor to it.  Bill Murray would be a prime example of this.  Now add Ben Stiller to that list.  Actually, he’s probably done some semi-dramatic stuff before, but this just has that late career Murray feel to it.

The problem is, Stiller’s just not quite as likable as Murray.  His anger and hostility make me wonder why any of the other characters put up with him for very long, especially Florence.  She’s a little odd herself (I don’t think Gerwig could play a totally normal character – and I wouldn’t want her to), but she doesn’t deserve the abuse she’s dealt by Greenberg.  Though, I guess that’s sort of the point.  She sees past that to the person he is underneath.  Unfortunately, it was hard for me as a viewer to see the nicer person underneath, so the romance didn’t make much sense to me.

As for Gerwig, I’ve seen her in a few things now, and I’ve enjoyed her subtle loopiness every time.  I kept wishing the movie was more focused on her, like it was for the first 5-10 minutes, but then I guess it would have had to have been called Marr…since that’s her character’s last name.

I liked Rhys Ifans’ performance as well.  I haven’t seen him in a whole lot of stuff, but he’s always brought something interesting to the table in the movies I have seen him in.  This is no exception.  It’s a more normal guy character than I think he’s known for, but he pulls it off very well.

There’s some interesting themes involved here, about stuff from your past not allowing you to move on with your life, among other things, but overall, it’s the mean spirited nature of the movie, along with a wandering storyline that brings it down a bit.  It feels like there’s a more enjoyable and interesting movie lurking just below the surface or just off screen somewhere.  What was on screen wasn’t terrible, but it has mostly vanished from my mind in the days following my viewing of it.  When I can’t quite remember how a movie ended within a week of watching it, that’s not a very good sign.

Apparently dog houses take a very long time to build.

10 – 2 for an unlikable lead character – 1.1 for too many failed comedy attempts – 1 for a disorganized story/script = 5.9

The House of the Devil (2009)

Tags

Drama, Greta Gerwig, Horror, Jocelin Donahue, Movie, The House of the Devil, Tom Noonan

when staying in the house of the devil, feel free to use the knives of the devil...

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Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Greta Gerwig

Megan: I’m so sick of hearing about that stupid eclipse.  It’s like all anybody can ever talk about.  They’re like, “gosh, are you gonna go see the eclipse tonight?  Berrrrrrr…”  You know, it’s not like the moon’s gonna explode!  Though…that would be pretty cool.

Samantha (Donahue) is a college girl who is just about to move into a new apartment and needs some quick money.  She happens upon a mysterious, but high paying, babysitting job and gets her friend Megan (Gerwig) to drive her out to the remote house.  This proves to be a bad decision.

You have to hand it to writer/director Ti West, the man had a vision and pulled it off almost flawlessly.  The vision was to create a modern movie that looks and feels like it’s taken straight out of the late 70s or early 80s.  From the opening credits to the hair and clothing style to the washed out look of the cinematography, it all looks and feels exactly as it should.  Only the last 10 minutes seems to jump back into a more modern style of film making.

There are very few false scares here (the kind with the big music hits).  Instead, the fear is generated by the slowly building sense of doom you sense enveloping Samantha.  As she notices small clues that maybe not everything is as it seems, her first instinct is to call 911, but then she convinces herself that she’s just overreacting and panicking.  I liked the fact that the movie showed she wasn’t just a stupid bumbling victim, but knew things seemed weird and started investigating.  Though, her friend Megan calls out her stupidity early on when they arrive and find out it’s not so much babysitting as it is looking after an elderly woman hidden away in a bedroom.  Probably a good warning sign that these folks aren’t on the level.

Speaking of Megan, this is the second time I’ve seen Greta Gerwig in a movie, and she was entertaining both times.  Though, if you’re not the main actor in a scary movie, you never want to be the most likable character.  That usually means trouble.  Jocelin Donahue is also a relatively unknown actress, and she looks like she could have just stepped out of the 70s.  I thought she did a good job here, especially in the more subtle moments as her worry grows.

There are no monsters or ghosts involved, but there are crazy cultists (and yeah, the hint of some supernatural stuff), which to me is actually scarier.  Some might grow bored of the slow first half of the movie, but I enjoyed the slow build leading up to the arrival at the house and then the eventual revelation that Samantha is in a bit of trouble.

It’s not groundbreaking or a thrill-a-minute, but it’s a nice reminder of how horror movies used to be before special effects, loud music, and an overdose of atmosphere took over.

Don’t pull over in a random cemetery in the middle of nowhere just to have a quick smoke.

10 – 1 because yeah it’s slow here and there – 1.2 because the end seems a little rushed and not in the same tone as the rest of the movie – .2 for not being the most original plot in the world = 7.6

Baghead (2008)

Tags

Baghead, Elise Muller, Greta Gerwig, Movie, Ross Partridge, Steve Zissis, Suspense

paper or plastic?!!

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Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig, Steve Zissis, Elise Muller

Catherine: It’s because you’re more loud than anything, Matt, not because of the bag over your head!  If you come screaming and put yourself in a window, we’re gonna scream!!

Four friends, with various crushes on each other, take an impromptu trip to a cabin in the woods in order to write a script for a movie they can all star in.  After Michelle (Gerwig) has what she assumes is a dream about a guy with a bag over his head, Matt (Partridge) decides that’s what the movie should be about.  At first they start scaring each other, but soon they start to wonder if Michelle’s dream really was a dream after all and if maybe there’s more to be scared about than just each other.

This is an odd little low low low budget movie.  I enjoyed it well enough, but it’s nothing special to get excited about.  It borrows from Blair Witch Project with its look and feel, though this isn’t meant to be a documentary where the characters are aware of the camera.

The characters are reasonably likable, though not hugely sympathetic.  The performances are also just ok, but not great.  Though, I wasn’t sure if they were acting all the time or if the people really are the way they seem to be in the movie.  Especially Michelle with her odd, ditsy way of talking.  If that was all acting, then bravo my friend, bravo.

There are a few oddities, and what seem to be inconsistencies, as the story plays out, but I won’t go into those so as not to spoil the movie.  It’s pretty well done, though.  It leaves you wondering what’s going on and who’s up to what at various times.  I just don’t think the payoff in the end is going to please most viewers.

Overall, it has some funny and clever moments, a couple of slightly scary moments, and it’s short and easy to watch.  Not great, but not bad.  How’s that for high praise?

10 – 2 for some of the character interactions being a little tedious – 1 for somewhat lackluster performances – .7 for a kinda dumb ending = 6.3