Review: 'St. Vincent' starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, and Naomi Watts

Stop me if you've heard this one: A hot-tempered misanthrope with personal demons a mile long who meets and befriends a precocious young boy in desperate need of fatherly guidance. Yeah, we've seen it a thousand times before and these films are always winners with audiences because they make us feel good. And that's what St. Vincent has going for it, basically, that despite hitting overload on the Cute Meter and going exactly where we know it will; by the end you're feeling good enough to give it a pass. Plus it has Bill Murray in full Rushmore-mode, which is always a good thing.

Murray slips easily into the role of liquor-breathed degenerate, Vincent, a man with no money, no friends, a mountain of gambling debts, and no tolerance for anybody. That is except for his pregnant Russian "girlfriend" Daka (Naomi Watts), who also happens to be a prostitute with a chip on her shoulder. Vincent hates people, people hate him, and that only makes the arrival of his new neighbors a bigger problem. The first time he meets single mother Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her young son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) it's a showcase of his awful attitude. Think Clint Eastwood's character in Gran Torino if he was meaner, drunker, and generally more "hey you kids get offa my lawn"!

With Maggie working long hours and Oliver attending an expensive Catholic School (with Chris O'Dowd hilarious as his teacher, we needed more of him), Vincent is called upon to be the kid's babysitter, despite ample evidence he'd be terrible at the job. And of course he turns out to be a bad influence in the way that somehow still makes him lovable. If you've seen Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, or this year's Bad Words, you'll see the montage of Vincent and Oliver hanging out coming ten miles away. It's still enjoyable to watch the old guy take Oliver gambling, to a bar, and to a strip club. The kid breaks down those emotional barriers Vincent has put up to escape a painful, and a little makeshift family begins to form.

Standard issue stuff, right? First-time writer/director Ted Melfi infuses a few personal details to a mostly clichéd story, and doesn't attempt to hide this is meant to be a rousing, crowd charmer. Because of that there isn't a ton of nuance to be found in many of these characters, but Melfi finds a way to make them all unique in their own way. Murray has played the irresponsible man child so many times in his career (stretching way back to Meatballs) that this feels like a natural fit for him. He elevates what could have been just another angry old man character, giving us a deeper look at Vincent as the story unfolds to reveal some dark truths. Is it the Oscar-contending performance many have pegged it to be? Maybe not, but it's not for lack of trying by either Murray or Melfi, who take every opportunity to tug at the heartstrings. Audiences are going to love Murray, though, and he's great when paired up with Lieberher. It's also good to see McCarthy in a role that doesn't require her to play, loud, abrasive, and clumsy. She doesn't get many laugh lines here at all and it's actually a refreshing change to see her get away from the usual bag of tricks. The same can't really be said for Watts, who puts on an atrocious Russian accent and waddles around like...well, like a woman in her third trimester. She just doesn't serve much of a purpose except as an incubator for an inevitable heart-warming moment.

St. Vincent often feels like a manufactured grab for awards recognition and maybe it was. That much is unavoidable, but so too is how good the film will make you feel, and sometimes sending the audience home with a smile is more than enough.

 Rating: 3 out of 5

Read More

Review: 'Calvary' Starring Brendan Gleeson, Kelly Reilly, and Chris O'Dowd

Is there a pair of filmmaking siblings who have a more devious mind than the McDonagh brothers? Not friggin' likely, and it's to all of our benefit that their hearts are so dark. Martin McDonagh's claim to fame is the pitch black assassin film, In Bruges, followed by the twisted Seven Psychopaths. His lesser-known bro, John Michael, directed the most successful Irish comedy of all-time in The Guard. That film reveled in political incorrectness but wasn't especially deep, however John Michael's incredibly rich, sublime follow-up Calvary has so many layers it's downright Biblical.

Part existential comedy, film noir, and commentary on the scandalous Catholic Church, McDonagh's ability to balance three competing tones is a thing of pure beauty. It doesn't hurt he's reteamed with The Guard's Brendan Gleeson, making the most of a rare opportunity to show his leading man ability. Like a powerful titan carrying the weight of the world's ills on his shoulders, Gleeson plays devout Father James, who tends his flock in a peanut gallery of a small Irish community. The film begins, shockingly, with the words "I first tasted semen at seven years old", but that's just the start of a disturbing confession James hears from an unseen man claiming to have been molested as a child. As some form of vengeance, he's decided to murder Father James in a week's time, even though he had nothing to do with the crime.

Or does he? One of the many underlying mysteries is whether this retribution is a just one or the product of a mind demented by his corrupted faith. Left to contemplate his eventual demise, James finds no solace in the vicious townspeople, a collection of deviants and nut jobs who couldn't give less of a crap about the Church. To them, the abuse scandals have turned it into a joke worth mocking, and by extension so is James. Chris O'Dowd plays a local butcher who doesn't mind that his wife (Orla O'Rourke) is cheating on him with another man (Isaach de Bankole) who beats her up. Aiden Gillan plays a savagely negative, coke-snorting surgeon, while the great M. Emmet Walsh is a writer who doesn't seem at all concerned about James' fate. Even when James approaches other priests on the matter they aren't much help, with McDonagh making a pointed statement on faith's inability to solve a tangible crisis.

It's interesting to see James walk through the five stages of grief, like a man diagnosed with a terminal disease. He seems to know his assailant but refuses to tell the police in hopes the man will instead seek absolution. While McDonagh doesn't shy away from the bleak and heavy nature of this complex story, he also instills a bit of hope in the relationship between James and his estranged daughter, Fiona (Kelly Reilly). She's returned home after a failed suicide attempt, and while she remains a bit cynical about God she comes to lean on his sturdy spiritual resolve. But like any normal person, that resolve begins to waver as the day looms closer, and the film loses much of its humor in favor of James' somber reflections on sin and forgiveness.

Like The Guard, this film lives and breathes on Gleeson's powerful performance. His Father James is a complicated man, full of righteous spirit and human frailties and can't help but question his own salvation under such trying circumstances. The rest of the cast is solid but one wishes McDonagh would tone down some of the more outlandish characters that serve no narrative purpose. Does Calvary really need a movie-quoting gigolo? Sure it's worth a chuckle but it's far more of a distraction in a film that is walking a very delicate tonal balance.

Calvary is probably too introspective, too dark for casual moviegoers but hopefully enough strong reviews will gain this beautifully crafted film the attention it deserves.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Read More

First Trailer for 'St. Vincent' Starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, and Naomi Watts

Although his characters tend to be a little salty and rough around the edges, Bill Murray makes for one heck of a father figure. See one of his early notable films in Meatballs, and of course there's also Wes Anderson's Rushmore. And if you want to stretch the idea a little further, maybe in a slightly creepy way, there's also Lost in Translation where he was more than happy to look out for Scarlett Johansson. The point being, this is the type of character Murray gets called on to play often, and he's set to do so again this fall in the star-studded comedy, St. Vincent.

Written and directed by Ted Melfi and co-starring Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, and Chris O'Dowd, a cast that would make any other filmmaker jealous, the film centers on Murray as the title character who clearly is no saint. He's a curmudgeonly old retiree with a thing for liquor and gambling, and upon learning that his bank account is in the negative, he agrees to watch over 12-year-old Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) for his neighbor (McCarthy), a single mother working long hours. Of course the male bonding over questionable afterschool activities ensues, like hitting the race track and the strip club. Van Nuys also introduces him to a pregnant stripper (Watts) while helping the boy to grow up and become a man because that's what these movies do. Watch out, things could get quite huggable and full of hopeful messages.

Some are eying this as a possible return to the Oscar race for Murray, his first since Lost in Translation and after getting snubbed for Hyde Park On Hudson. St. Vincent opens in theaters on October 24th.

Read More

New Trailer for Nick Frost's New Comedy 'Cuban Fury'!

I will be the first to admit, when I first read the synopsis for Nick Frost's new flick Cuban Fury all I could think of was Balls of Fury (which I actually dug, please hold the tomato throwing until the end of the post). Still, something told me to reserve judgement, this was Nick Frost after all, Simon Pegg gets the credit but he was the heart of the Cornetto trilogy. He plays the down on his luck loser who anyone can root for with perfection. This domestic trailer only confirms my suspicions. Frost plays Bruce Garrett, a child prodigy at competitive salsa dancing that has since let himself go. When his new boss, played by the extremely delectable Rashida Jones, shows an interest in men who dance salsa Bruce decides to dust off his dancing shoes and salsa his way into her heart. Chris O'Dowd plays his co-worker and romantic opponent Drew which, if the trailer is to be believed, will be the source of a large percentage of the funny. I suppose you could say that this could go either way, but you would be wrong, Nick Frost has it in him to carry a film based on his charms alone...I think this is going to be that film. Check it out below!

Read More

Dance to a New Trailer and Clip from 'Cuban Fury' Starring Nick Frost and Chris O'Dowd

It's Nick Frost, it's Chris O'Dowd, it's that lovely Rashida Jones...how can Cuban Fury possibly go wrong? Well...the first trailer had a lot of moves but seemed a little out-of-step comedically, but maybe this latest cut and a new clip will find the right rhythm?  Frost and O'Dowd play office rivals who take up salsa dancing in hopes of winning Jones' love, and the physical humor between the two actors promises to be a highlight. Let's just hope it's not the only highlight.

Co-starring Olivia Coleman and Ian McShane, Cuban Fury opens in the U.K. next month. Nobody's asked it to dance here in the U.S. just yet.

Read More

First Trailer for Sundance Entry 'Calvary' Starring Brendan Gleeson and Chris O'Dowd

The last few weeks of the year are pretty much reserved for the seemingly endless stream of critics awards announcements, honoring the best of the year drawing to a close. But it's also a time to start to start looking forward, and for many movie fanatics that doesn't start until the Sundance unveils the line-up for their January festival. One of those recently revealed as part of the Premieres category is Calvary, from writer/director John Michael McDonagh (The Guard) reteaming with star Brendan Gleeson.

The first trailer for Calvary has been released and it's another one aiming for uncomfortable laughs, although with issues of faith and religion mixed in. Co-starring Keilly Reilly, Chris O'Dowd, and Aidan Gillen, the film centers on Father James Lavelle, who is warned during confessional that he will be murdered in one week's time. Because of the "seal of confessional" he is unable to tell the police, and "opts to engage with and tries to understand his small minded and morally scurrilous parishioners with the hope of dissuading the one amongst them intent on his death."

Calvary opens across the pond on April 11th 2014, and will be seeking U.S. distribution after it plays in Park City. 

Read More

Nick Frost Dances into Rashida Jones' Heart in Trailer for 'Cuban Fury'

While talking to Nick Frost during a Q&A for Edgar Wright's The World's End, Nick Frost talked about how his training for the extensive action sequences had come during the six months of dancing he put in for his Brit comedy, Cuban Fury. The film has always sounded like a winner with Frost dancing off against Chris O'Dowd. But now that the first trailer is here, does Cuban Fury have all the right the moves?

Frost stars as a likable, well-meaning regular dude who does what guys do in movies; namely fall head-over-heels in love with Rashida Jones. She's the new girl at the office, and when he discovers her passion for salsa dancing, he of course takes it up as a hobby, hoping to dance his way into her heart. Ian McShane turns up as a sort of dance Yoda, while O'Dowd is Frost's main competition for the dance crown and Jones' affections. Before long it's hip thrusts and awkward sexual tension at high noon.

So it's basically Billy Elliott meets Dodgeball? Eh. Cuban Fury opens in the UK on Valentine's Day but has yet to gain a U.S. date.

Read More

Bad Dates and Space Ships in Two 'Thor: The Dark World' Clips

Marvel has always been pretty good at injecting humor into their superhero movies, at least when it comes to Iron Man and The Avengers. But it's been sort of lacking in the other films, and for something like Thor: The Dark World, which deals with Norse gods, dark elves, and apparently space ships, it's silly enough that the jokes should write themselves. And now we've got two clips that show the film will have a decent sense of humor about it.

The first clip gives us our first footage of Chris O'Dowd's cameo appearance as a date for Natalie Portman's character, Jane Foster. There was some speculation he would be playing a version of Thor's human host Donald Blake, but that's not the case and he appears to just be a guy who sees his one shot at scoring with Foster ruined by her best friend, Darcy.

The second clip has more of a Star Wars feel as Thor and Loki make a daring escape aboard a space ship while their pursuers attempt to shoot them down. Of course, Loki can't help but be a backseat driver the whole time and it's a wonder Thor doesn't just shoot him out the air lock.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Jaimie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard, Anthony Hopkins, and Kat Dennings, Thor: The Dark World opens November 8th.

Read More

First Look at Chris O'Dowd in 'Thor: The Dark World'

Considering the fervor that erupts around all of Marvel's casting decisions, it's kind of interesting that Chris O'Dowd's cameo in Thor: The Dark World has largely been ignored. Or at the very least it's already been forgotten. It was a few months ago that O'Dowd tweeted he'd filmed a brief date scene in the Marvel sequel, and now Empire has provided our first look at it.

The image shows O'Dowd opposite Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and Kat Dennings as her best friend. Thor and Foster appear to be on the outs in this film, at least initially, so we could be looking at her agreeing to meet her ex-boyfriend, Donald Blake, with Dennings' character there as support. It's all just speculation but expect O'Dowd to be funny and undeniably likable for however long he's on screen.

And in case this isn't enough Thor hype for you, USA Today has unveiled a new poster done up in Lego style, all for the release of the Lego: Marvel Super Heroes game that I'll be indulging in on October 22nd. Thor: The Dark World hits theaters on November 8th.

Read More

Sure Shots: Gael Garcia Bernal; Al Pacino; Chris O'Dowd

* Fresh off what many are calling his finest performance in the Chilean political drama, No, Gael Garcia Bernal is hooking back up with its producers for a film that will take him to Argentina. He and Alice Braga (City of God) will star in El Ardor, which follows a mysterious figure who emerges from the Argentinian rainforest to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a farmer, murdered by mercenaries who then took over his property. Written and directed by Pablo Frendrick, the film is being described as a modern day Western. [THR]

* Continuing what has been a fascinating recent run of projects, David Gordon Green is already lining up his next project to follow-up Prince Avalanche and the recently-completed Southern drama, Joe. He'll co-write and direct Manglehorn, and he's targeting Al Pacino as a potential star. If he comes aboard, Pacino would play an ex-con who 40 years earlier had given up the woman he loves for a "big job", and now lives a hermetic existence in a small town. After a dramatic attempt to start over, a terrifying moment exposes him as a man with a very dark past. [Deadline]

* Chris O'Dowd is set to join his Girls co-star Adam Driver in Coward, a new comedy from Ceremony director, Max Winkler. Set in the 18th century, Driver plays a nobleman who chickens out of a duel by hiring a criminal (O'Dowd) to take his place. When the criminal wins, he goes on a hot streak of victories until he completely assumes the nobleman's identity. [TheWrap]

Read More

Nick Frost and Chris O'Dowd dance the salsa in 'Cuban Fury'

How about this as a comedy pairing: Nick Frost, funnyman and Simon Pegg's running buddy from hysterical hits like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and last year's Attack the Block; and Chris O'Dowd, who was a scene stealer from last year's Bridesmaids? That get you a little bit amped up to see what these two can do when in the same flick? Yeah, me too.

The Sun(via Twitch) reports that the two will star in a UK production of Cuban Fury, in which they'll play rivals in the world of competitive salsa dancing. Seriously. Frost will play a former teen prodigy who had his career stalled by O'Dowd's character. Oh, this could be great, and the idea of these two trying to perform some of the most energetic dances on the planet is rife with comedic potential. The script comes from Jon Brown, and is backed by Big Talk Productions, who produced pretty much every Pegg/Frost team up we've seen. There's no director attached just yet.

While it looks like we're edging closer to Pegg, Frost, and Edgar Wright's final leg of the "Three Flavours" trilogy, this'll do nicely as a means of passing the time, don't you think? O'Dowd was just recently seen in the great ensemble comedy, Friends with Kids, and will be a part of Judd Apatow's This is Forty.

Read More

Sure Shots: Justin Long; Chris O'Dowd; Annette Bening

*Hard to believe that guy who irritated me so much in Waiting and Accepted has now become an actor I like forward to seeing quite a bit. Justin Long, who was great in the underrated rom-com Going the Distance just a couple years ago, is stepping behind the camera as writer/producer of the indie flick, A Case of You. Directed by Kat Coiro, Long will star as a guy who exaggerates his online dating profile, only to have to live up to the hype when he falls for the woman he meets. Evan Rachel Wood and Peter Dinklage, Busy Phillips, and Keir O'Donnell were already attached, and now Sam Rockwell and Vince Vaughn have joined the cast. That's a pretty stacked line-up, proving it pays to have friends in high places. [Variety]

* Seems like the McDonagh brothers are everywhere lately. After just revealing a few images from Martin McDonagh's upcoming comedy, Seven Psychopaths, now comes an update on the next project from his brother, John Michael McDonagh, who showed the siblings have very similar comedic tastes. Titled Calvary, the film sees him reuniting with Brendan Gleeson in a dark comedy about a priest falsely accused of child abuse by his community. Deadline reports that Chris O'Dowd(Bridesmaids), Kelly Reilly(Sherlock Holmes), and Aidan Gillen(The Wire) are the latest to join the cast. Filming should begin as soon as this summer.

* Annette Bening will star in The Great, a comedy biopic based on the life of Catherine the Great, the longest ruling female leader in Russian history. Directed by Australian filmmaker, Gillian Armstrong(Charlotte Gray), the story will follow Catherine's idealistic beginnings in Austria to her marriage to the Russian emperor. Filming is set to begin this September. [ScreenDaily]

Read More