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.

We Bought a Zoo

First Hit: Despite its obvious intentions to elicit emotions, it effectively works on all cylinders.

It is hard to think that Matt Damon can be in a bad film.

I wondered about the title of this movie and the previews that I saw had me thinking - maybe. But as he said on The Daily Show “It’s a Cameron Crowe film.” Yup, it is true and it is good.

The overall acting by everyone is top notch. Crowe got what he needed from everyone.

This film is about a Benjamin Mee (Damon) who loses his wife and is left with two kids; Dylan (played by Colin Ford) a 14 year old boy and Rosie (played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones) a 6 year old girl. They miss their mom just as Benjamin misses his wife every single day.

Benjamin gets advice and support from his very close brother Duncan (played by Thomas Haden Church) who is an accountant and has his own life struggles. Feeling stuck in their lives, Benjamin leaves the city and moves his family outside into the country by buying a rundown and soon to be closed down zoo.

Rosie is happy, Dylan is angry, Duncan is confused, and Benjamin is doing his best to find a way to let go of the memories of Katherine is wife (played by Stephanie Szostak). Running the zoo is the former zoo keeper apprentice Kelly Foster (played by Scarlett Johansson). All the zoo workers are unique in their own way and this film lets them all have their moments.

The story’s goal is to get the zoo open by July 7th and they only have a few months. This journey is one of forgiveness, letting go, letting love, hard work and the results of “giving yourself 20 seconds of insane courage”.

Damon is amazing. He brings courage, confidence, thoughtfulness, anger, sadness and laughter to his character. Ford is wonderful as the frustrated teen who is very lost. Jones is unbelievably wonderful as the wondrous daughter. Church is perfect as the supportive but ever skeptical funny protective brother. Johansson is sublime as the zoo keeper who has confidence and is looking for someone to match this. Elle Fanning as Lily was super as the open fearless girl who has a crush. The entire cast is simply wonderful and that is because of the well written story by Aline Brosh McKenna and Cameron Crowe and the perfect direction by Crowe.

Overall: This is a very good and heart-warming PG film.

Easy A

First Hit: Very smart film and Emma Stone is one of the few young actresses that could have pulled it off.

Films about high-school always seem to wallow in jocular and simple gross humor. Not that this film doesn’t play off of that type of humor, but what makes this film different is the way it’s done.

Stone plays Olive Penderghast who wants to be asked out on a date, seems to be not seen by the boys, doesn’t like the Christian club group at school, and has a best friend Rhiannon (played by Alyson Michalka) whom she shares her intimate information.

The backing and support she receives from her hip parents Dill (played by Stanley Tucci) and Rosemary (played Patricia Clarkson) allow her to be the smart, quipping, and intelligent girl she plays. To fix her non-existent reputation and the reputation of her gay friend she pretends to have sex with him at a large party given by the most popular girl in the school. They make it real enough that everyone thinks she puts out.

By doing this other guys think the gay guy is not gay and think that if they pay her, she will solidify their reputation as a hot guy. The thing is that nothing ever happens, she takes their money and spins the story the guys want spun about themselves.

The downside is everyone at the school thinks she is a slut. Because they are studying “The Scarlet Letter” in school she decides to sew a red “A” on her outfits. This causes additional negativity towards her and also allows her to also be more flippant and sarcastic.

Despite the fun she has with creating all the high school rumors about herself, it’s also causing problems in her life. Her parents support and share stories with her as a way to allow her to find her own way to resolve the lies being told about her. It has to start by changing the lies she told about everyone else.

Stone is dead on perfect for this part. She embodies the smart-alecky, good looking, somewhat plain, intelligent and self-understanding to carry this part from beginning to end. Tucci is wonderful as her father and it is easy to see the intelligent connection between the two. Clarkson is equally good as her mother and the talk they have on the hood of the Volvo is precious. Thomas Haden Church as Mr. Griffith is strong as Olive’s favorite teacher and Lisa Kudrow as Mrs. Griffith is good as the school guidance counselor who has her own shenanigans. Bert V. Royal wrote a strong and smart script. Will Gluck took this smart script and great cast and made a funny and thoughtful high school aged film.

Overall: This film was fun and joy to watch. It is smart and funny and not foolish.

All About Steve

First Hit: This is absolutely the worst Sandra Bullock film yet. It was a waste of celluloid and of my time.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Sandra Bullock but in this film, she fails to create a likable, interesting character let alone one worth caring about.

The film begins by wanting us to believe that Mary Horowitz (Bullock) is smarter than most people because of her ability to create crossword puzzles and that she wants to create a daily puzzle instead of her weekly one. The discussions about her crossword prowess with her boss and anyone who will listen to her is suppose to build her credibility.

However, what it does do is alienate both the people she’s talking to and much of the audience. Her parents set her up with Steve (played by Bradley Cooper) a news cameraman who is supposed to be a knockout, at least in her eyes. As soon as they get to his truck to leave for their date, she attacks him and pushes to have sex.

Steve is initially excited but then sees that she’s a little too talkative, odd and aggressive and tells her he has to leave. I don't know if this is suppose to be funny or sad; a man turning down sex with a beautiful woman or because this all happens outside of Mary's parents house just moments after they got into the truck.

Because he wants to let her down gently he alters the truth and says if she didn't have a job she could travel with him. Steve's reality is that as she gets out, he hopes to never see her again. However, Mary becomes obsessed with Steve, writes a crossword where every clue and answer is about Steve, and because she does this she gets fired. This is the film's setup.

The rest of the film is about her chasing Steve down at his various news sites and causing trouble for Steve or others. Thomas Haden Church plays Hartman, the on-screen commentator which Steve films at each of their news events. He has a childish mean streak in him so he continues to encourage Mary to follow them from news scene to news scene by telling Mary that Steve really loves her.

Bullock is bad in this film. Her accent, non-stop rambling and quirkiness created a character which couldn’t be cared about let alone believable. Haden Church was funny at times as was Ken Jeong as Angus, their on-site director. Cooper was lost and added little to the film and gave no reason, other than his looks, as to why anyone would be obsessed with him.

Overall: This was a waste of time and I’m not sure how and why the actors signed up for this extended strip of celluloid. Please don’t bother going to see this.

Smart People

First Hit: Although billed as a romantic comedy, it seemed more of a drama with some good acting.

There are four really good parts in this film and they're handled admirably by Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page and Thomas Haden Church.

This mix of brings together a dynamic set of characters in a movie that has an underlying dull tone. Quaid plays a professor who has lost his wife and his drive for living an engaged life. He is cynical, lazy, non-caring, and buries his sadness and hurt by just checking out.

When someone approaches him in his field of expertise, he quickly sizes them up and cuts them down as being unworthy of this time. His daughter, played by Page, is lost in her own way. She is the family glue while also attempting to be perfect.

She's a perfect Republican, Student, and by filling in for her deceased mother she's the perfect daughter. She is also a cynical wise cracking friendless lonely girl who doesn’t want anyone to interrupt their household until she heads off to college.

Quaid gets hurt in a fall and because of the injury has to be driven everywhere he goes. Paige doesn’t want to do this and brings in Quaid’s brother Church who is a drifter and loner that is always broke and finds scams for jobs. He gets the job of driving for Quaid, moves in and causes havoc, and misses many of his appointments to pick up Quaid. While at the hospital Quaid is treated by Parker who was a former infatuated student of his and is now a physician. They begin to date which causes an upheaval in the household.

Overall: The acting was very good and the characters interesting but I would have like more on the Parker and Quaid relationship and less on the Page and Church relationship.