Wonder Wheel

First Hit:  Although well-acted, there's too much telling versus showing in this film.

I’m not a fan of longish monologues where the actor is telling their history to another actor as a way to tell the audience the necessary or semi-necessary information about themselves. It can work if kept to a minimum, but here it is incessant.

Much of what was told was unnecessary for the character to be seen more fully. The long monologue of Ginny (Kate Winslet) telling her lover Mickey (Justin Timberlake) as to why she felt like she was a disaster of a woman was totally unnecessary. It didn’t add to the film because Winslet is fully capable of making the audience believe her depth of sadness without all the information.

Additionally, I’m not a big fan of talking to the camera as a way to move the film along and to provide a backstory to what we are seeing and why. But Woody Allen (writer and director) felt it necessary to have Mickey talk to the camera several times and the first offense is at the beginning of the film which took me right out of film from the get go.

What we have is Ginny who is unhappily married to Humpty (Jim Belushi) who is an angry drunk so she keeps him sober. They're raising Ginny’s son Richie (Jack Gore) from a previous relationship. Richie is a handful because he’s a pyromaniac. Ginny feels both trapped and grateful for her current relationship with Humpty.

Humpty’s daughter Carolina (Juno Temple), from a previous marriage, shows up one day because she ratted out her gangster husband to the cops. She’s decides to visit her dad because she’s broke and because her husband won’t look for her at her dad's because of the strained relationship.

One day Ginny meets up and talks with Mickey and they start an affair. Hoping to enjoy love in her life once again, she becomes jealous when Carolina also becomes interested in Mickey.

This is the set-up and as we wade through lots of explanatory dialogue we a story is presented in the Coney Island boardwalk setting.

Winslet is excellent. It is her facial expressions that really shares the story despite all the lines and dialogue she's given. Belushi is perfect in this role. A barely educated guy who is a bit brutish, thinks the world of his wife, likes fishing and loves his daughter. Gore as the pyro son is an odd character in the film but he carries the role well. Timberlake is strong as the affable lifeguard who is honest in his dealings with the women. Temple is fantastic. I enjoyed her scenes and her look fit perfectly with the story. Allen wrote his typical screenplay filled with unnecessary justifying lines for the behavior of his characters. I really liked many of the sets and scenes that he put his characters in. The noise of the boardwalk and the overriding ragtime music set a wonderful tone.

Overall:  This is not one of Allen’s better films because the excessive dialogue got in the way.

Far From The Madding Crowd

First Hit:  Strong acting on all fronts and with luscious photography this was a good film but its length took away from it being better.

This long famous Thomas Hardy novel has Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba Everdene;  a woman whose parents died while she was young.

She works on her Aunt’s farm, tills the soil and rides horses like a man; meaning in Victoria England women rode side saddle whereas Bathsheba rides straddling the horse. She is very strong, self assured, independent and wants to stay that way. Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), the sheep herder neighbor, is fully smitten by Bathsheba and after a few friendly visits, asks her for her and in marriage. She is shocked and says "no", explaining she doesn’t want to be married. She ends up inheriting a large home and land. After arriving she takes charge and immediately begins to make the land profitable.

Her wealthy neighbor William Boldwood (Michael Sheen) takes a liking to Bathsheba and also asks for her hand in marriage because he wants to take care of her (“provide safe harbor”). She turns him down as well. Then she becomes smitten by handsome and reckless soldier (Tom Sturridge) who touches her in more ways than one. She agrees to be married and soon regrets the decision. He fritters away her farm on gambling and eventually confides he loves another. This leaves Bathsheba to make some difficult decisions.

The movie is lusciously filmed and many details are exquisitely shared. The cast was well chosen, however the script is a little long winded in the way this story was shared.

Mulligan is very good. She definitely has grown as an actress and reverentially delivers this character role. Her semi-smile is her strong suit as it says so much. Schoenaerts is perfect as the noble, strong, silent, friend and suitor. Sheen is fantastic as the once spurned noble neighbor that sees and wants to have Bathsheba in his life. Sturridge is great as the charming, sexy soldier that has his way with Bathsheba. Jessica Barden is wonderful as Bathsheba’s assistant. Juno Temple as Fanny Robbin is great in the small and pivotal role as Sturridge’s true love. David Nicholls wrote an extended yet colorful screenplay. Thomas Vinterberg directed this well, just a little long.

Overall:  This was a film to just watch and luxuriate in its tone and tenure.

Horns

First Hit:  A rather unrealistic and lousy film.

This film did try to take itself seriously, however how could it? A guy growing horns out of his head? Sure. It tries to make a villain out of Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe) because his girlfriend, Merrin Williams (Juno Temple) is killed near their secret treehouse. It was their hiding spot.

Previously to being found there she was last seen with him in a restaurant fighting. Telling you what they fight about would give too much away but needless to say that they have spent their life (since grade school) together and they were in love. Because Merrin is so loved and Ig vilified, he ends up growing horns which express the town’s hatred.

Radcliffe was OK in a role that really stretches the imagination but not in a way that I would recommend. Temple is devine and is the best thing in the film. Keith Bunin wrote a mostly ridiculous script and director Alexandre Aja tried to make sense of the story.

Overall:  This film was poorly conceived and barely executed better.

Afternoon Delight

First Hit:  At times, very insightful and interesting, other times the film was lost and some scenes needed cutting or a re-write.

The home life of Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) and Jeff (Josh Radnor) is one of a couple that is out of sync with each other. Rachel isn’t working, or attempts to write from time to time.

Jeff has made it big with developing “apps” and the results have put them in a nice home in Silver Lake California, a close community to downtown LA. They have a young son and hang out with friends, like themselves, mid-thirties, successful, and working a lot.

Their sex life is spoken about by whether they put the dog out or not. It’s code. Mostly they don’t have sex because as we learn Rachel would like it in the afternoon while Jeff is always working. To spice up their life they and another couple go to a strip club where Jeff buys Rachel a lap dance with McKenna (Juno Temple).

It unnerves her in two ways, she’s intrigued by her feelings and also confused by them. She doesn’t want to be curious but is. Rachel tracks down McKenna and begins to have coffee walks with her. One day McKenna is being thrown out of her car and Rachel offers her their nanny’s room.

Rachel discovers that McKenna makes no bones about being a sex worker but is also of a very sweet kind disposition and loves kids. But when Rachel has a real opportunity to let McKenna show this side of her, she fails and things blow-up.

Hahn is very effective as a troubled wife, who has some demons (the energy work scene points out this very powerfully) she needs to deal with. Radnor is good as the pre-occupied husband. Temple is sublime as the sex worker. She brings a real presence to the film and succeeds in being the driver of the story. Jane Lynch is both interesting and horrible as the therapist treating Rachel. She brought a strong presence, but as a comedy sequence where “she shares” her own story, it fails miserably. These scenes needed a full rewrite. Jessica St. Clair, Michaela Watkins, Annie Mumolo were all very good in their roles and Rachel’s closest friends. Jill Soloway both wrote and directed this film. From a writing aspect, some scenes were great while others were horrible. She did a good job of directing the film and giving strength to the characters, however some scenes were just not required or needed re-writing.

Overall:  This film has some very good things to say and could have been better.

Killer Joe

First Hit:  A film that rides the edge of powerful, violent and absurd.

Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) lives with his mom but, unseen, he throws her up against a refrigerator. He hates her and he wants to killer her for her insurance money which will go to his sister Dottie (Juno Temple).

Chris doesn't think anything thing through and the results of his actions surprise him. He needs money because he owes $8,000 on a gambling debt and they are out to kill him.

Dottie is oddly brilliant because she actually sees what is going on but everyone else thinks she is too sensitive and slow. Chris’ father Ansel (played by Thomas Haden Church) is even more stupid than Chris.

His responses at the end of the film to questions by Killer Joe (played by Matthew McConaughey) are priceless. Ansel is married Sharla (Gina Gershon) who cheats on Ansel and has fights with Chris. Chris and Ansel hire Killer Joe Cooper to kill Chris and Dottie’s mother for the insurance money.

The plan is to pay Joe his fee and split the remaining amongst the four of them. However, Joe requires his money up front, but decides to change his terms and to take Dottie as a retainer.

Their sensual and sexual scenes are very intensely shot. When the plot fails, Joe takes charge of the family and the scene of making Sharla suck a KFC chicken leg is grossly engaging.

Hirsch is wildly good because he moves from being foolhardy and protective with the same vigor. Temple is very strong as a girl wanting to stay innocent and grownup at the same time. Church is exceptional as a low IQ guy who just doesn’t fully see what really going on and, when lost, takes direction from others well. Gershon is good as a woman who fights for what she wants and is probably the smartest one in the family. McConaughey is fantastic as Joe. He is suave, partially sick in his actions, clear and concise in his instructions to the group as things begin to unfold. Tracy Letts wrote an interesting script. William Friedkin got a lot out of his actors and he made it edgy and oddly funny.

Overall: This is bizarre film, but its absurdity, oddly different script and powerful performances were entertaining.