The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: James Ponsoldt [IMDB]

I've been consistently seeing The Spectacular Now popping up in many peoples best of the year lists. It has also garnered a lot of attention in the film festival circuits. I figured... I like a nice indie drama as much as the next guy, why not?

Synopsis: A party bro falls for a nice sweet girl and deals with the pitfalls of exiting high school.

I only wish I could have gotten piss drunk, passed out on a lawn, woken up to, and fallen in love with a girl like Shailene Woodley when I was a senior in high school. Actually, that's not true at all, I was straight edge my senior year and I had a girlfriend, but still... this guy is one lucky bastard.... or is he? See that? That's me throwing a curveball at you, mixing up a little mystery into the pot.

Following the story of Sutter (the protagonist) was amusing and entertaining. The Spectacular Now takes notes from Cameron Crowe and John Hughes, but it has its own spin on the coming of age genre flick, which worked for me. People perceive themselves a certain way in high school, and what you think are, others may not agree with. That aspect and the understanding of what you want out of life are complex things that Spectacular does a great job capitalizing on. Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley's chemistry was solid and I was psyched seeing Kyle Chandler in there... gotta love Coach Taylor.

Above all things, The Spectacular Now felt real to me, that believability makes it worth your time alone. It's not top ten material, but still worth a poke.

August: Osage County

August: Osage County
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: John Wells [IMDB]

I first saw the trailer for August when I went to go see American Hustle. Like American Hustle, the trailer was mediocre and didn't really spark my interest. Then my friend Doug (shout outs!) saw it and claimed it was best film of the year. He also informed me it was from the same writer that brought you (me) Killer Joe and Bug... so at that point my interest peaked. I just checked it out, here's the low down.

Synopsis: A family with issues is reunited for the funeral of a loved one and things get ugly.

August is a solid film and has some superior performances coming from the Pretty Woman and Meryl Streep. I also liked the edition of Chris Cooper, that guy is always an asshole, it's nice to see him in a more kind hearted role. Osage County captures disfunction and addiction in a believable and comedic way mostly... but the film is extremely dramatic and a little over the top at times. There were a few things that I felt tipped the scales which I won't get into because of spoilers (you're welcome.)

I rather enjoyed August: Osage County and felt like its characters and simplistic settings made it a winner. It's a dark film with a not so happy ending. If you're not into that kinda shit, skip it. But I love stuff like that cause I'm a deep dude. It's still in theaters and I'm pretty sure it expanded wide.

All Is Lost

All Is Lost
(2013) [Trailer]
Director: J.C. Chandor [IMDB]

All Is Lost was a film I really wanted to squeeze in before I made my Top 10 List for 2013... sadly I didn't get the chance. After watching it, it probably would have made it in there, or been really close. Here's why.

Synopsis: A man is stranded at sea... you watch... you enjoy.

This film immediately sinks its teeth into you and doesn't let go for the rest of the ride. I loved it and was captivated by every minute of it. It's like a procedural for surviving at sea and almost has a weird documentary vibe to it. There's no dialog... minus the monologue in the beginning, Robert Redford says all of 4 words in the whole thing. It doesn't really need that though, I was just caught up in the act of him staying alive and keeping his shit together. Redford rules the role and is convincing enough that I think he may have lived on a sailboat in real life at one point.

I feel extremely satisfied with All Is Lost and I haven't seen anything like it before. It takes the whole "lost at sea" sub-genre (if there is such a thing) and reinvents it in an interesting way.