PredatorsI should not have found this film to be as charming as I did. The original Predator is a film whose enjoyment level for me rarely rises above "loathe," so take this review with a grain of salt. I found that most of the performances worked very well, especially Topher Grace (perpetually underrated) and Walton Goggins (perhaps the best character actor working today). The film smartly takes the Jaws approach, hinting at what's out there without showing it for probably half the run time. It's ultimately little more than a violent, crass, silly action film, but it's one of the better films of its kind we've gotten in a while. The film does take itself a bit too seriously, and the running joke of not telling us Adrien Brody's character's name is misguided, as I couldn't name any of the other characters either. Still, this film is exactly what it sells itself as, and you can't really go wrong with it if you're looking for an above average creature feature.
Life During WartimeWhat exactly constitutes a sequel? That's one of the many questions Todd Solondz grapples with in Life During Wartime. A sequel of sorts to his masterpiece Happiness, it recasts every character, often turning them into someone completely different from who they were originally. And yet, the film so explicitly continues all their stories from the first film, you'll be lost if you've never seen it. It's a fascinating, if ultimately hollow experiment. Few actors are able to achieve anything approaching what the original actors did, with only a few trying to make the characters completely their own (Paul Rubens and Ciaran Hinds making the biggest impacts). If you've never seen a Solondz movie, you really shouldn't start here. The things I love about his style are still on display here, though a bit more subdued. It's ironic that this might be his most mainstream film yet, but it's also the least accessible due to its constant callbacks to a film most people never saw from 12 years ago. I'd recommend you see Happiness instead, but it is probably too shocking for 99% of audiences out there.
The Kids Are All RightHere's a film that tells a familiar story, with familiar themes, yet it works so well because of the actors on display. All five lead actors give career best performances, and while the adults might be getting all the awards talk (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo), I found the two children to be far more interesting and nuanced. Mia Wasikowska, fresh off of Tim Burton's recent disaster, is infinitely charming here as the daughter. She gave such a wooden performance in Alice, so it comes as a bit of a shock to see her flourish in a real role. And Josh Hutcherson is an actor I've had my eye on since Bridge to Terabithia. Here he realizes his potential as the confused and lost son of two lesbians. His story is the one I wish had been explored more. His need to find out who his father is should have played a much bigger role in the film, but it often gets glossed over in favor of bickering between Bening and Moore. Had this movie put the kids front and center, it might have been a much more original and interesting film.
CyrusJonah Hill makes it 3 for 3 this year with great films. Here he absolutely nails the role of Cyrus, a strange man-child who still lives with his mother. What really could have been a one note performance is given a lot more depth by Hill, who had to improvise most of his dialog, along with the rest of the cast. John C Reilly is just as good as the man wooing Cyrus' mother. I found the loose style of this film very refreshing. While it hits some familiar beats, it hits them with wit an charm. You can almost certainly guess where this film will end up, but how it gets there is pretty fun. The women in the film haven't got as much to do, but Marissa Tomei and Catherine Keener (two of my favorite women in film right now) both give it their best. Cyrus very well might be the best comedy of the summer, one one you should check out when it comes to your neck of the woods.
