Apr 17 2015

Unfriended

A group of high school friends find themselves tormented by a strange online presence after the suicide death of their acquaintance Laura (Heather Sossaman). Bent on evil, this supernatural presence has a plan of its own, now surviving their Skype chat with each other will be a challenge. Ready to play a game?unfriended Basically constructed as a first person laptop screen viewing, props to the director and writer (Levan Gabriadze and Nelson Graves) for thinking out of the box and creating something that probably feels quite familiar to the millennial generation, or anyone who’s spent an evening wrestling with their computer and a malaligned Skype call. And, while the intention of creating a film that showcases cyber bullying is appreciated. The laughable dialogue and overall story arc falls shy of real terror once we get going; had we been induced into the horror trance in just a slightly different way and awoken with a slightly more poignant finish some real tension might have prevailed. In all evil there must be some good, and vice versa, without that counterbalance we’re left with just one dimension and a less interesting story. Interesting exercise in cinema, but more of a rental or skip. Unfriended is rated R.


Apr 17 2015

Monkey Kingdom

Following a troupe of Macaque monkeys in Sri Lanka, lower class Maya the monkey struggles to rise in the primate hierarchy and raise her son all the while protected but oppressed by alpha male Raja and his three red faced sisters. Aided by newcomer and challenger to the throne, Kumar, the monkey kingdom is clearly a place of constant turmoil, despite the hours of affectionate grooming. How will these dynamic and daring simians sort their differences and learn to co-exist, not only with each other but also humans? MonkeyKing Brought to you by the same makers of several other Disney Nature films (Chimpanzee and Earth) and narrated by Tina Fey, this heavily anthropomorphized look at the primate world proves to be part educational but majoritively fictitious and mashed together to tell a story from the sum of its parts. Albeit, a cute and a fun watch, perhaps a little too pandering in its overall story, whereas a film such as March of The Penguins, most likely constructed in a similar way, spends more time teaching and less time goofing, ultimately reaching a broader audience. Bottom line, looking for an intro to get your kids into nature lightly, this is your ticket. Adults, you won’t hate this, but this isn’t the high brow of David Attenborough. Monkey Kingdom is rated G.


Apr 10 2015

While We’re Young

Josh and Cornelia (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) are a moderatley successful couple, he a documentarian and she a producer of his work, sort of. With no children of their own, the two appear to have hit their stride and now perhaps be on the decline until a young and flattering hipster couple, Jamie and Darby (Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried), enter their lives. But appearances aren’t necessarily what they seem, before long Jamie and Darby’s true motivations come to light. Will that be too much for Josh and Cornelia and what about father in-law Leslie (Charles Grodin)?whilewere Written and Directed by Noah Baumbach, the film sets up in two acts, Act 1) the funny setup that seems hopeful and exciting and Act 2) the preachy reveal that tells us exactly what we thought might be coming as revealed by the quotes at the beginning of Act 1….so it’s less funny and more about life exploration and questioning one’s own ideals. Both acts with their merits, but perhaps a few more merits to Act 1 for its humor and the remainder to Act 2 for its ability to strike a chord in the hearts of anyone who’s felt the breath of young wolves on the backs of their neck and lived to tell the tale. Fantastic and relatable performances from Stiller, Watts, Driver and Seyfried make this little gem quite watchable and inspiring. Worthy of your time and a possible date movie, While We’re Young is rated R.